Generate electricity while you exercise

A Hong Kong based gym has revolutionized the projects on the fringes of the renewable-energy movement with their exercise machines hooked up to a battery which stores the electric energy produced by converting human physical activities while working on these machines.

Lucien Gambarota, a Hong Kong-based renewable energy entrepreneur and the inventor of the idea, launched the revolutionary concept in which energy burned off by exercisers is diverted and converted to power lighting fixtures, while excess energy is stored in a battery.

The health club here is hoping that a car battery, some StairMasters and dozens of gym rats can help ease the world’s energy problems.

The idea behind this project that a single person can generate 50 Watts of energy per hour with his physical activities and California Fitness had started working on this since the end of this February. Therefore, club equipped 13 machines with generators and diverted a part of energy produced to recharge the battery.

Steve Clinefelter, president of the Asia-wide California Fitness chain is thinking to expand this project further as everybody is quite enthusiastic about this innovation.

Many of the new projects are focusing on capturing energy that is a byproduct of casual human activities, such as walking or exercising. Scientists call such devices “parasitic” generators. Many of the most futuristic projects focus on harvesting the energy of crowds.

Such projects have gained momentum since past years and are a response to the need of generating more power with clean and less hazardous ways with least adverse effect on environment. Such a projects will encourage more energy crisis solving projects and in the upcoming times we can hope our fitness clubs totally self sufficient in energy matters with motto‘ no sweat, no light‘.

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Via: DevelopmentCrossing