Wind-up Appliances
A clockwork or wind-up radio does not use batteries or electricity instead it relies on muscle power. Most commonly the radio will have a hand crank on the case. The hand crank is connected to a mainspring which when wound powers an internal electrical generator. As the crank is turned it winds the spring and when the spring is fully wound the radio is able to operate for several hours.
Wind-up radios have been around for a while, but previously their market was limited to emergency or military organisations. However, with the increasing interest in green energy and reducing consumption they have moved into the consumer market. The modern version of the clockwork radio was designed and patented in 1989 by Trevor Baylis. He created his radio in response to the AIDS crisis. The radio was intended to be used by people in poor countries who would not have access to batteries. In 1996 Baylis co-founded Baygen Power Industries to produce the first model for the commercial market. The design innovation that Baylis introduced was a constant velocity spring which is used to store the potential energy. There is now a wide range of models on the market.
Other wind-up devices include flash lights, torches, lanterns, remote controls and mp3 players. The Verio wind-up mp3 player comes with an integrated flashlight and mobile phone charger. It can be charged using the dynamo or a mains charger. Winding up the Verio for one minute will allow you to listen to songs for 15-20 minutes. The wind-up remote control from Tiscali has a dial on it which when cranked 30 times will give up to 7 days worth of usage.
These are all small devices and you may not immediately think of muscle power when you think of alternative power sources, but there are more ambitious projects. One supplier offers a system that will turn your bicycle into a mini green energy plant. The idea behind the system is that as you pedal you charge a battery which can then be used to run all kinds of appliances, from laptops to TVs. Of course the problem is that it takes up to 45 minutes of pedalling to generate enough energy to watch TV for 1 hour. Most people in developed countries are put off by this, but in developing countries pedal power is much more popular. Mayapedal, an NGO in Guatemala uses recycled bikes to provide green energy for the manufacture of food crops, pureeing fruits and vegetables, sawing wood, pumping water, washing clothes or generating electricity.
Verio wind-up mp3 player
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