Green Gym Uses Human-Powered Energy
The opening of Portland’s The Green Microgym this week seems like a perfect complement to the announcement of M2E’s kinetic charger, which can generate energy from motion. Adam Boesel, The Green Microgym’s owner, doctored up spin bikes with weed whacker motors and truck alternators so that patrons can create energy to help power the 2,800 foot space.
According to DailyTech, the Team Dynamo and Spin Bikes at the gym can each generate up to 75 watts. Next on Boesel’s list is generating power from elliptical trainers.
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At first, patrons will probably generate about 25 percent of the gym’s power. But Boesel hopes that eventually they will be to generate all of it.
The Green Microgym follows in the footsteps of Hong Kong’s California Fitness gym, which uses gym-goers’ energy to power light fixtures.
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[...] Green Gym Uses Human-Powered Energy The Green Microgym The Green Microgym
A very very good idea!
I want someone to teach me how to do this with my bike that is sitting idle in my shed out back. Please. I am not techno savvy but I know it can be modified somehow to generate power. If you can help, let me know at my site please.
This is how they’ll REALLY power the Matrix.
A local radio station and a gym did a promo thing where the station was completely powered by people and stationary bikes.
I think everyone should take the example and go green. It’s what’s needed!!!!!!!!!!
Very cool! The aspect of giving discounts on memberships equivalent to the amount of power generated would not only interest the frugal participant, but encourage all to excercize more.
I love this blog
Let me preface by saying I think this is a great idea, but we have not yet developed adequate technology to make this a viable solution. The amount of energy consumed by the gym in total will still be magnitudes of order greater than energy produced by humans on the machines. Maybe if all the machines were constantly in use and creating the max amount of energy they could we would be closer. Also, from a business point of view, the memberships could not be free, because it is ultimately a venture established to create a profit, memberships are the primary source of capital for the gym. Having said that, the goverment could subsidize gyms like this to make start up costs and the increased initial investment of engineering and manufacturing these energy creating aerobic machines. Don’t get me wrong I think this is a great idea and I’ve had thoughts of doing the same, but upon investigating further myself I’ve found many flaws. Bottomline, we need better energy creation technology for the generators, more efficient power transmission cables, long life storage batteries, and Americans need to quit being such lazy fatassses and work our bodies like they were designed, I think the government needs to become involved with this a little bit to make it more financially possibe for foreward thinking inventive people like the owner of this gym. Best of luck to the gym though!