Eco Factor: Prototype laptop powered by pedals.
While the OLPC Give One Get One initiative is trying to make every kid in the world computer literate, their efforts are being affected as most of the rural population either doesn’t have access to the grid or even if they do, power outages keeps them deprived. To better the efforts, a team of designers has created a prototype for a pedal-powered charging option for the OLPC XO-1 laptop that can even be used during power outages.
The station can charge the laptop while it’s being used and can be run easily by typical 3rd grade students for whom the system was actually designed. The OLPC Freeplay hand crank is connected to a pedal system underneath and requires no additional battery backup.
Via: Treehugger/Gizmodo
