Kinetic Energy Device Charges Your Electronic Devices with Your Walking, Running, Biking Energy

April 9th, 2012 by Zachary Shahan



The nPower® PEG is a new “backup battery charger for hand-held electronics that uses the energy you generate while walking, running, or biking.” It can be used to power you iPod, cell phone, etc.

What do you need to do to make this thing work? Not much — just stick it in your bag, backpack, briefcase, or such and it charges itself. As you move around, it will recharge using natural movement vibrations. It’s called a “passive kinetic energy charger” or a “vibration harvesting” charger.

“The nPower® PEG is a smart device which automatically senses your activity, adapts to it, and optimizes energy harvesting,” the company writes.

“For example, the PEG has optimum power output within a frequency range. And it also has the ability to harvest ambient vibrations that are experienced in daily life, such as riding in automobiles and trains or riding a bicycle. nPower’s® electrical output correlates directly to the physical size of the device.”

The serendipitous (or logically planned) benefit of the PEG is that it charges when you’re on the move, and when you’re on the move is when you most need a portable battery charger.

Aaron LeMieux, the founder and inventor of the PEG, has spoken at TEDX about it if you want to learn more about the details and history of the green technology, as well as some potentially bigger future plans:

The PEG is already on the market, and nPower has featured a few very positive user reviews on its website, including this video of some techies and hackers who used it on the way to SXSW:

Now, however, nPower is saying that a “new, more powerful version of the nPower® PEG” will be launching at the beginning of Earth Day weekend — Thursday, April 19 — at the green technology EcoFocus event in NYC. It will also be featured at “Earth Day On The Mall” on April 22 in Washingon, DC.

What do you think of this mobile, consumer tech product?









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