I’m so happy to hear about this. I’ve been saying for years that this is a viable way to harness people power and curious why no one had taken the simple dynamo design and applied it.
BBC
A US gym has installed specially-adapted exercise bikes that recycle energy generated by people as they work out. The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon, aims to be a carbon neutral exercise facility through the use of solar power and human-generated energy from clients as they pedal and run.
The big challenge has been finding the right equipment and adapting the technology,” says Adam Boesel, the gym owner. The science behind generating electricity from gym equipment is not new. For decades people have been using dynamos on their bikes to power the front and rear lamps. Generating power in a gym setting is based on the same principle. “If you think about a gym, almost all of the exercise equipment has a spinning wheel, and if you can spin a wheel you can make electricity, just like a windmill makes electricity,” explains Mr Boesel. The gym has teamed up with a Texas-based company, Henry Works, which is in the process of developing what it has dubbed the Human Dynamo. Full Story Here
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The first question that comes to mind is:
“Did these folks running and pedaling to nowhere, DRIVE to the gym?”
Hi Suza,
Yes, of course, many of them probably did drive to the gym and if they were to ride their bikes, walk, jog, roller skate etc. then they may not even need to go to the gym, though, given the current state of affairs, and that the gyms here in Ojai have steady membership, why skip over the possibility of generating electricity from the calorie burn.
You know there is even technology in development for sidewalks that when people walk on them the energy from the pressure is converted to power.
Hi Raymond,
My apologies that I neglected to acknowledge that this is a step in the right direction.
I do think a “green” gym should consider how clients are transporting themselves, plus other factors, when adding up their carbon footprint.
It’s especially glaring in Ojai where one of the most beautiful walking/bicycling trails in the world runs right past the Athletic Club, but, as far as I know, most clients still drive to the Club (hopefully this is changing).
Thanks for the interesting Post and I hope local gyms pick up on this trend!
For an Ojai epiphany, I recommend riding your bicycle on a beautiful morning to the Athletic Club for a spin class. As you sweat profusely to loud, (usually) bad music on a stationary bike, with fellow spinners yelling huzzas and grunts at various points, your eye might drift out the window. This can be dangerous, as you might begin to wonder what exactly you are doing, and how you got there.
(However, since you are not actually moving, your chance of physical injury is minimal.)
Thanks for that Ojai epiphany!
as one of the final projects in my graphic design studies, i designed a pedal machine to be installed under an office worker’s desk, to generate the power for the computer! wanna keep working? keep pedaling!
Evan, that is a fabulous idea! That would automatically balance out all the sitting and snacking at your desk!