Personal Power Generators

[caceres1975]

That would also take care of OBESiTY, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

[Spiteless]

One person on one bike might not make all that much energy, but what about those cycling classes in gyms? 30 people generating a small amount of electricity quickly turns into a lot.

On a similar note, in the movie Gattaca people are required to exercise for whatever amount of time. That same idea of regulation could be applied so that a certain amount of exercise machines were always being used to generate electricity.

[BRAlNlAC]

you live in San Francisco, right? At the exploratorium they have a cycle machine that powers devices (light bulbs, heaters fans, etc.). Each device has a switch allowing you to choose to turn it on or off, and they tell you how much power it takes to run each device. you'd be surprised how little energy you produce. Not to say that harnessing power produced by peoples everyday activities isn't a good idea... just that its not going to make a huge difference.

[Plomomedia]

i'll check that out. So couldnt they theoretically make a more powerful cycling machine?

[BRAlNlAC]

Not more powerful, just adjustable. Gear ratios don't change the amount of energy produced they just let you work more comfortable. On a bicycle different people like different cadences, but no matter what gear they're in or how fast they're pedaling, if they're going 30 mph they are producing the same amount of energy.

[DevanWastesTime]

This is horribly off-topic...but has anyone ever told you that you bear a shocking resemblance to Simon Woods (he played Mr. Bingley in the movie Pride and Prejudice)? You should google image search him and compare yourself. It's crazy.

[Plomomedia]

wow. i've been told a lot of things but never that guy. you're right, we are very similar. he could be my brother.

[elementguy053]

i wish i could show you the video i saw in second grade where it explained that those people on their bikes pedaling 60 times a minute going 30mph are doing the same work as someone pedaling 600 times a minute (hyperbole) and still only going 30mph

[Plomomedia]

i think i know what you mean... that's the miracle of the ten speed. so if you just made a machine with like, 867134509872345 speeds, then wouldnt it generate a whole lot of revolutions with just a little work?

[zakooldude]

It really is interesting, and yes, you come across as completely blazed in the video. Not holding that against you, though.

They're already harnessing energy from subway ticket turnstyles in Asian countries. If the energy is derived from exercise that you would be doing anyway, I think it's a good idea. If you're getting the energy from everyday activities, it could pose a problem because we're expending unnecessary energy and consuming more food to do so.

[iamacyborg]

Solar power will always be the best power source. It's the difference between:

sun -> photosynthesis -> growing plant -> eating -> digestion -> muscle contraction -> generator -> power

versus

sun -> solar cell -> power

Right now, solar cells are very inefficient. I predict that will change in the near future. Maybe we will come up with a process which mimics photosynthesis rather than heating water and running a turbine (which i believe is the current best practice).

[skyroket]

AND some lady somewhere is making pads that when you walk on it, it makes electricity.

[skyroket]

DUDE... I have had this same idea. Like, they have those stationary bikes even my mom rides at home in front of the TV. Well, instead of using a knob that increases resistance, just hook that shit up to a generator, and if you need more resistance, go set it up like a 21-speed bicycle and be able to switch gears.

Also, there is some airport somewhere that I read about that harnesses the heat output of all the people walking down the hallway and turns that shit into energy somehow.

[SammySamff1]

Just how fucking high were you when you thought of this shit?

[skyroket]

He looks REALLY high towards the end of the video. It's still a good idea. I wonder just how many of our current inventions were thought of while high.

[WunderMaus]

It would not be a significant means of generating power but... it would create a societal consciousness and community of global energy contributors with healthy by-production. I think it would be an awesome sociological accomplishment. I really like the concept and the win-win mindset it would create.

[roji56]

Excellent idea. Almost all the workout machines in a gym rely one two effects: gravity, or friction. If we could replace the friction core in the (rowing, tugging) machines with an alternator, we could produce energy with exactly the same workout.

[TrenchantAtheist]

Yes, it would be like windmill farms. Different windmills turn at different speeds (because different amounts of wind hit each) -- so they use an AC generator and an inverter to convert the output to DC. Once the energy is combined on the DC side, it is converted back to a usable 60 Hz AC that can be synced with the national power grid. So your idea would be along the lines of a human-scaled windmill farm inside the housing of a gym. Interesting.

[Plomomedia]

yes! or at home even. I think manufacturing personal exercise machines for one's home - a pedaling or otherwise aerobic workout machine - would be good for those serious about exercising. I for one would like to know how many miles I would have to run on a treadmill to keep a lightbulb on for, say, an hour. I'm convinced that this knowledge would get people to appreciate the value of their electricity, and to naturally use less.

[Spiteless]

Well I treadmill wouldn't work because you're not pushing anything. The machine gets the belt up to speed without any effort from the running. Pretty much everything else would work though as long as it had an element of friction like roji said, even the energy created from people pushing the front door open.

Come to think of it, biking machines already work this way, except there's no output to a generator.

[Plomomedia]

hm. i see what you mean. Still, you agree that work is done when one runs? How could that work be harnessed, if not by a treadmill?

[skyroket]

There are motor-less treadmills. They're really old, though, I'd imagine. The one I know of is hella old. It was in my grandma and grandpas' basement (next to the belly fat shaker machine LOL) and it had kindof an incline that you had to run up, but once you got it started, the belt was propelled by your feet since it was kinda on an incline and curved.

[Spiteless]

There could probably be some sort of suit that would harness the compression/extension of the suit as someone runs, but it'd probably be a huge pain in the ass to make and very expensive.

Running to me just seems like a very ineffective way to try and harness energy. Whereas biking, rowing, and weight lifting machines could be changed to harness the friction created, like electric cars charging when they use their breaks.