Backpack generates power from walking
A backpack that converts a plodding gait into electricity could soon be charging up mobile phones, navigation devices and even portable disc players, U.S.-based researchers said on Thursday.
Their backpack design converts mechanical energy from up-and-down movement of the backpack's cargo to electricity during normal walking.
Fueled by a snack, hikers can put the spring in their steps to good use, the researchers write in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
The backpack is deliberately designed to shake around a bit. The up-and-down movement of the backpack's cargo compartment against the frame of the pack turns a gear connected to a generator.
The simple magnetic coil generator is similar in principal to those seen in hand-cranked radios, flashlights that work after a rhythmic shaking and other devices.
