Alternative energy is moving in some pretty exciting directions lately, and the AirEnergy 3D is a big step toward making clean, renewable, inexpensive energy available to everyone. The assemble-it-yourself device is a lightweight, portable wind turbine that can be folded up and carried in a backpack.

The AirEnergy 3D is powerful enough to charge several devices at once by plugging them directly into the turbine’s base. However, power can also be stored in an on-board battery for later use – or it can plug right into a home’s power system to provide supplementary electricity. The creators of the project will keep their design open-source, meaning that anyone with a 3D printer and some basic skills can construct their own.

One of the goals behind the project is to provide power where there is no grid, starting with communities in Africa.  Solar power is obviously only available in the daylight hours, but the AirEnergy 3D could continue providing energy long after the sun sets. It generates up to 300 watts of power, which may not sound like much but is enough to charge your phone or MP3 player, power a lamp, and keep your laptop running.

The portable nature of the AirEnergy 3D means that you can move and reposition it to catch the maximum amount of wind. It also fits nicely in a backpack, making it perfect for camping when you don’t want to be entirely removed from civilization. The Kickstarter project for the AirEnergy 3D topped its funding goal, with early adopters getting their own DIY kit for around $480. The initial investment might seem steep, but the money you would save on electricity over time would not only pay for the turbine, but for the 3D printer it was made on as well.

The post Power to Go: Folding Wind Turbine Fits Into a Backpack first appeared on Gajitz.

Music is the universal language, and in the case of an instrument called SPARK, it could also be a lifesaver. SPARK, invented by Royal College of Art graduate Diana Simpson Hernandez and promoted by percussionist Sudha Kheterpal, is a percussion shaker that creates electricity as it creates music.

In developing countries like Kenya where up to 75% of the population has no access to electricity, kerosene lamps are often used for nighttime lighting. These lamps are deadly, causing 12,000 deaths per year in Kenya alone. But without them, schoolchildren have no way to do their homework or read.

The SPARK contains a copper coil with a magnet inside that moves back and forth as the SPARK is shaken. The motion gathers electricity which is stored in a rechargeable battery, allowing owners to jam in the daylight to save up enough electricity to light their homes at night. The SPARK happens to make a lovely sound when shaken, so it makes a great addition to a formal or impromptu musical gathering.

A USB light can be operated from the SPARK’s stored energy. This can provide precious time to read or do schoolwork at home. The SPARK can also be used to charge mobile phones, a service that is typically only available to Kenyans for a charge from street vendors.

The project’s Kickstarter campaign is an impassioned plea to bring a much-needed source of clean energy to developing nations. Because learning the inner workings of the tool is just as important as using it, the SPARK will be manufactured and distributed as an assembly kit. After testing the SPARK in several Kenyan villages, Kheterpal has discovered that the technology would make a huge positive difference in the lives of its users. Contribute at least £150 to the Kickstarter campaign to get your hands on one of the very first SPARK kits to be produced.

The post Instrument Sparks Love of Music + Brings Power to Homes first appeared on Gajitz.

Wearable electronic devices are the future, and they’re already being developed and manufactured. To make the batteries thin and light enough to fit into these small devices, engineers have had to come up with some novel solutions. A team of researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have invented a lightweight wearable generator that uses your body heat to provide low-power devices with electricity.

The flexible generator features thermoelectric materials embedded in a lightweight glass fabric. The result is a wearable generator that is hardly noticeable when it’s on, moves with your body, and generates a reasonably high power output. All it needs is the waste heat your body produces all day, every day.

A 4″ X 4″ wristband made of the material would weigh less than half an ounce and produce 40 mW of power at room temperature. That’s not enough to power a consumer device like a phone or tablet, but it should be more than adequate for lower-power devices like fitness trackers and smartwatches. The researchers also believe that the technology could be used in a number of other industries where large amounts of waste heat are produced.

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Believe it or not, Disney is about more than just cartoons and creepy singing automatons. Their research division is constantly coming up with some pretty crazy technology, and they haven’t failed us with their newest unveiling: a “paper generator” that produces power from the simple acts of touching, sliding or rubbing its components.

According to Disney Research in Pittsburgh, this small and inexpensive energy harvesters could be used in books and other printed media to light up LEDs, activate e-paper displays, play simple animations and sounds, or power little games.

They weren’t kidding about the simplicity of the setup. Its components are Teflon, paper, conductive adhesives, silver-coated polyester, wires, and plain old tape. Rubbing the paper against the Teflon creates a small amount of voltage which can power lots of amazing little actions that were previously limited by the size of the required power source. This setup is flat enough to fit into a kids’ book and cool enough to entertain and amaze kids and adults.

The post Disney’s Paper Generators Put the Power in Kids’ Hands first appeared on Gajitz.

Kinetic energy provided by human muscles is a great source of clean, renewable energy, but one that we don’t often exploit as much as we could. K-TOR’s Power Box is a pedal-powered generator equipped with a regular power outlet that lets you charge low-power devices (up to 20W) with nothing but the movement of your legs.

The power box weighs just 4 pounds and folds up into a box small enough to fit into a backpack, making it easily portable. You can use it at home or work, or take it camping to ensure you’ll always have a way to charge your phone and iPod. Any charger with a wall plug can plug right into the Power Box.

Just as exciting as the always-available energy is the potential fitness benefit to be gained from the Power Box. Studies have indicated that people who use pedal devices like this under their desks at work can burn an average of 500 extra calories a day. The device doesn’t produce a lot of energy, but it will give you enough to charge your Nintendo DS for a little lunch break gaming time.

The post Portable Generator Charges Gadgets With Just Leg Power first appeared on Gajitz.