View Full Version : Someone Make this for me....
We've all seen the flashlights that you shake to re-charge. How about a hiking pole that stores energy from its use to recharge a single battery. With two of these poles you'd be swapping AAA/AA batteries out all the way to Maine.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
09-07-2006, 07:48
Not sure if it would be energy effective to lift the charging element with your arms with every step. However, the idea of using hiker movement to generate electricity has been explored. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10175
Shiraz-mataz
09-07-2006, 09:25
What a great idea! Kind of like regenerative braking on the new hybrid vehicles - capturing energy that would otherwise be lost. Of course the First Law of Thermodynamics is "you don't get something for nothing" therefore your body will be the ultimate energy source, which would theoretically have to come from additional food carried, hence more weight... But geez, that may be overthinking the plumbing a bit. Such a hiking pole may weigh more due to the charger but if designed correctly it shouldn't add to the overall size of the pole. Plus, it's something you're carrying anyway - not like it's a whacky charger you'd have to stuff in your pack. As a design engineer, ideas like this pique my interest. I'll smoke it over a little...
Emsadida
09-07-2006, 09:58
If the pole was made about three inches longer with a spring we can use the weight put onto the poll to slide the metal rod up and down inside the wire coil. Think of it kind of like the like the Leki shock system. The bulk of this would have to be in the handle as to get the sticks working comfortably. lt would a little getting used to but should work...
If the pole was made about three inches longer with a spring we can use the weight put onto the poll to slide the metal rod up and down inside the wire coil. Think of it kind of like the like the Leki shock system. The bulk of this would have to be in the handle as to get the sticks working comfortably. lt would a little getting used to but should work...
That's what I envisioned. It wouldn't take a lot of kinetec energy recapture to run a slow charge, just enough to charge a capacitor. I bet you could build one of these in no time with off the shelf electronics.
I'm a genius. But then, again, I did invent the magna screen (http://www.magnascreen.com):sun
Ok, I figured it out by considering the solar batter recharger on this website (http://www.geoduck.com/epicenter/order.cgi?page=power_sources_generators_and_batter ies.html&cart_id=%25%CArt_id%25%25).
The spring at the bottom would drive a small piston. The piston would be affixed to the top of the spring and move in and out of the base of the pole tube. A the top of the piston, inside the pole's tube would be a small induction coil. The coil could actually be located at any point in the pole depending upon balance/space needed.
The coil would feed the capacitor that would be hooked to the charger nearer the top of the shaft. One or two rechargeable AAA/AA batteries could be dropped in the top of the pole's handle via a screw cap, or accessed via a "door" on the side.
et voila. This idea is now copyrighted by me. No stealy without cashy.
Ok, I figured it out by considering the solar batter recharger on this website (http://www.geoduck.com/epicenter/order.cgi?page=power_sources_generators_and_batter ies.html&cart_id=%25%CArt_id%25%25).
The spring at the bottom would drive a small piston. The piston would be affixed to the top of the spring and move in and out of the base of the pole tube. A the top of the piston, inside the pole's tube would be a small induction coil. The coil could actually be located at any point in the pole depending upon balance/space needed.
The coil would feed the capacitor that would be hooked to the charger nearer the top of the shaft. One or two rechargeable AAA/AA batteries could be dropped in the top of the pole's handle via a screw cap, or accessed via a "door" on the side.
et voila. This idea is now copyrighted by me. No stealy without cashy.
Of course, you might not even need the piston idea. Simply setting the coil magnet on top of a spring inside the shaft could cause it to bounce around like crazy just from the walking motion. At night you could hang the pole from a tree branch so it could bounce around in the wind.
Help me. This idea is burning my brain.