Human Kinetic Energy Conversion

[Racoon]

This has really stewed in my mind for a while...

When you go to the gym, and you see everyone on a treadmill, bike, ellipse, rowing machine, whatever...like mice in wheels...
couldn't that energy expended be used for electricity generation?

like turning a dynamo!

One of the guys at the gym said he rigged his TV to a treadmill, so when his housewife wanted to watch TV, she had to walk the treadmill to power it.
(subsequently getting in better shape as a by-product)

It seems to me that a substantial amount of energy could be produced.

Enough at least to power the gym and lighting, or whatever...

Does anyone think this is a good idea?

[Boerseun]

Absolutely. But then again, humans being the silly creatures that they are, the moment gymming starts doing something productive, they'll stop doing it. In South Africa, some propellerhead designed a merry-go-round as a toy for kids, but which is actually a water-pump! So, as the kids play, they pump water for the town!

I think its a great idea.

Same with making power meters run in reverse for electricity generated at home, which is then 'sold' back to the power grid through making the meter run in reverse when you've got surplus energy at home (like solar panels, etc.)

[ronthepon]

Yaeh we can do all that.
Energy is present in all places latent and hiding is this way, waiting for us to take for ourselves.

But this can never be very useful. Such power sources will be erratic and unsustained.

Further, there is a limit to useful work that can be extracted from any process. THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS, the law that I hate for it's power to waste us all.

[Chacmool]

Originally Posted by Racoon

When you go to the gym, and you see everyone on a treadmill, bike, ellipse, rowing machine, whatever...like mice in wheels...
couldn't that energy expended be used for electricity generation?
It seems to me that a substantial amount of energy could be produced.

Enough at least to power the gym and lighting, or whatever...
Does anyone think this is a good idea?

GREAT idea!! I wonder how much energy is actually going to waste in an average-sized gym each month? It's scandalous that we're not harnassing all the power we can in order to save our precious resources. And actually ALL television sets should be hooked up to a treadmill!

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by Chacmool

GREAT idea!! I wonder how much energy is actually going to waste in an average-sized gym each month? It's scandalous that we're not harnassing all the power we can in order to save our precious resources. And actually ALL television sets should be hooked up to a treadmill!

Your TV will be next Chacmool
Theres no hiding.

motion creates emotion!

Any advice/ideas on where to go looking for methods of installing dynamos into pre-existing cardio-machines?
or how that would be implemented mechanically?

I am not an electrical engineer by any stretch.
But I'd love to learn...

[Jay-qu]

hehe I thought the same thing when I was running on the treadmill at the gym last time - but man those things have nothing on *real* running at the least the gym could save a few dollars on the bill, but they will still have to power it when there aint many people there or at night when extra lighting is needed.

[Jay-qu]

Originally Posted by Racoon

Your TV will be next Chacmool
Theres no hiding.

motion creates emotion!

Any advice/ideas on where to go looking for methods of installing dynamos into pre-existing cardio-machines?
or how that would be implemented mechanically?

I am not an electrical engineer by any stretch.
But I'd love to learn...

dynamo/generator even a motor hooked up and spun will produce a current, it just needs to be hooked up to the axel via some rig.. that will depend largely on the treadmill.
Another option I can think of is having a kind of wheel that sits on the treadmill surface and spins, less trouble but could get in the way and also may cause extra friction for the runners to push against (not technically a bad thing)

[ronthepon]

I've just had an idea on this. Why not make this method useful for charging batteries?!

I mean connect the axle of a cycle to some dynamo through some tough gear system to increase rotation speed, then connect the dynamo to some dc current stabliser, then from there to the battery?

Well?

[Jay-qu]

possible - what you need is either a built in commutator, or run it through a full wave rectifier and then smooth it out with a capacitor placed in parrallel

[ronthepon]

You're a genius, JQ and I am working on your tip ASAP!