Roll Kinetic Charger to juice up your batteries with fun

Image credit: Coroflot

For centuries, the Chinese have been using traditional Baoding balls as an exercising tool to recover from injury or remain fit. Rubbing these two balls in one’s hand stimulates acupuncture points, which help to loosen bones and muscles and make the user feel relaxed and fresh. Enough about traditional methods, let’s talk modern. Shanghai designer Jiang Qian has created a Roll Charger that helps to convert mechanical energy generated by the balls into electricity to charge AA or AAA batteries.

Inside the Roll Charger

Image credit: Coroflot

Roll Charger consists of two balls, where each ball can be split into two halves. In order to charge the AA or AAA batteries they are placed inside each ball. When these balls are rotated in the palm it generates electricity ultimately charging the batteries inside. The batteries can be used in a remote or other devices powered by them. Placing a LED into the device helps the user to know whether the charger is functioning properly or not and also tells when the battery is fully charged.

Other innovative ways to tap Kinetic energy and generate power:

• Eco-Nightclub:

The one of its kind truly green night club, about to unveiled in UK, offers electricity producing dance floors. The floors fixed with power generating blocks generate 60% of the building’s electricity. The blocks are made from piezoelectric crystals which creates current when pressure is exerted. When you dance the blocks gets squeezed and the current is passed into the batteries electrifying the night club.

• The nanotech Power Shirt:

With the help of piezoelectric effect the textiles fibers covered with nanowires generate electric current using your body movements, which in turn powers the small portable electronic devices for soldiers in the fields.

• Gym energy recapture:

Such gyms use a simple technology that converts kinetic energy into electricity and can be applied to all kinds of activities. Electromagnets in a generator turn mechanical motion of the gym members into electrical currents.

• Energy producing kites:

Kinetic energy can be produced from huge radio-controlled highflying kites. ‘Ladder mills’ are used to store the kinetic energy and convert it into electricity.

• <a href="Backpacks generating electricity:

There are backpacks in the market, which can produce power for your iPods or cell phone. Power is generated as the load in your backpacks bounces up and down when you walk; the motion of the springs gets converted into power.

Via: Treehugger