M2E Power turns movement into electricity

Looking for power in hard to reach places? Perhaps M2E Power can lend a hand. The company -- recently infused with a pile of money from venture capitalists -- is in the business of creating power through the kinetic motion of everyday human and / or mechanical movement. The idea is that by simply walking or driving, energy can be produced that will power devices on-hand, obviating the use of outside sources -- an idea that will be of particular use to soldiers on duty, as the technology could reduce their load by up to 30-pounds. The devices also contribute to efforts towards clean power and extended mobility on the consumer side, efforts your DS-playing kids will go bonkers for. For those down with the Faraday Principle (energy produced via motion of a magnet through a wire coil), you'll be happy to know that someone is putting the concept to good use -- for the rest of us, well, we'll just be happy if we can get a few more minutes out of our mobile phones.

[Maxwell @ Nov 16th 2007 12:10PM]

This bodes well for all the iPod-toting joggers, bike riders, and hikers, no?
Personally, I'd love to be able to charge my iPod/cell phone/DS while out for a walk, or just as I go about my business during the course of a normal day. Awesome!

[nikola @ Nov 16th 2007 2:07PM]

HMMMM, I wonder if we could somehow power our cars with the kinetic motion of those spinning wheels. Imagine if that could be used to say, charge some kind of kinetic battery which could store all that accumulated energy.

*waits for oil-soaked naysayers to pounce*

[bobartig @ Nov 16th 2007 2:15PM]

@ nikola: are you referring to spinning rims? And are you being sarcastic? Electric and hybrid cars already have a flywheel mechanism that captures kinetic energy absorbed from the car motion/wheels while the car is braking. This captured energy is stored in the electric engine's battery. So, it is a good idea!

[Vikas @ Nov 16th 2007 12:11PM]

Burn extra calories to power my mp3 player, sounds like a deal.

[EDR229 @ Nov 16th 2007 12:22PM]

So, umm, does this mean we'll all be wearing electric underwear someday?

[JamesR @ Nov 16th 2007 12:22PM]

Looking around my office here I see most American's (myself included :( ) have a LOT of "extra" energy.

It's not a spare tire baby, it's my backup battery!

[paul34 @ Nov 16th 2007 2:55PM]

Umm, excuse me James, I saw you write that comment. Don't make fun of my disability you jerk!

-- The big guy from the next cubicle over

[Electromodo @ Nov 16th 2007 12:35PM]

I was always thinking while looking at those kids constantly running around: "Put them inside the squirrel cage - and see how much energy you can get!". We must think of our children!

The applications of this technology are very promising, we already have a way to transmit video signal through human body, add human body as power source, and a self-consistent cyborg is there!

Anyway, it would not be long before robots realize that human body is a great source of energy and begin using us to power their SkyNet.

Yors sincerely,
Mad Scientist

[Electromodo @ Nov 16th 2007 12:39PM]

Not even a cyborg, but an implanted video iPod (Zune, Sansa, whatever) :)

[StrangeBum @ Nov 16th 2007 1:36PM]

That SkyNet has been thrown around alot recently. What with Futureshops online description of Crysis. And I even think engadget made mention of it in an earlier post.

Just happened to notice, this comment really holds no pertinent information about the topic at hand.

Have a good day!

[Joe @ Nov 16th 2007 12:49PM]

BOOEY POWER... GO!!

[John Stracke @ Nov 16th 2007 12:50PM]

"For those down with the Faraday Principle (energy produced via motion of a magnet through a wire coil), you'll be happy to know that someone is putting the concept to good use" -- Um...yes, people have been putting the concept to good use for over 100 years: that's how electric generators work.

[paul34 @ Nov 16th 2007 2:56PM]

Also electric motors!

[John Stracke @ Nov 16th 2007 2:58PM]

Yeah, I thought about saying that, but I didn't want to blow a fuse in the Engadgeteer's brain.

[rabatjoie @ Nov 16th 2007 5:57PM]

So... how exactly would this work? Does "leveraging the Faraday principle" mean that you would move a coil through the earth's magnetic field? I wonder if the electricity thus created would actually be significant.

Maybe some of the more tech-savvy people around might want to comment.

[Phil @ Nov 16th 2007 3:37PM]

Finally, the answer to America's obesity challenge...we simply make it so you have to move to use your various portable bits.....in other words."if you don't move, you don't use".

Seems to me there was a parent in Santa Cruz, CA that had a bicycle hooked up to a generator so the kids could only watch TV if they rode. They rode in shifts to get at least 2 hours of watching in a day.......

[Steve Woolley @ Nov 16th 2007 4:39PM]

This is not a new technology. I was personally witness to this phenomena in the 1970's. Polyester in discos were the source of many static electricity discharges.

[cmj2405 @ Nov 16th 2007 5:20PM]

This would be great for something like a Wiimote

[Pan_theFrog @ Nov 16th 2007 6:34PM]

Why are we messing around with converting kinetic energy to electricity? I have a much better idea: Polyester bra and a wool sweater. 100k volts of static electric just waiting to be tapped. A whole new meaning to "I'd tap that". Also works a taser in case you are attacked.

Can you imagine the electrifing potential of a pair of pants with one leg made of polyester, and the other being wool? Hook it up to one of those system that charge products they are near, so that the iPod in your pocket is charged as you take a walk. By the way, this is being advertised by Ewe at almostporn.net (We don't just make clothes, we make Futurized Urban Garments [F.U.G.]). Soon reporters will be asking stars about their clothing and the stars will reply "F.U.G. Ewe".

[airpolgas @ Nov 16th 2007 7:14PM]

Hmm... I have this flashlight that can be recharged via cranking - spinning motion. Why don't they put the same principle on tires that charges a battery on an electric vehicle?

[Davin Black @ Dec 18th 2007 4:52PM]

they do, but the 'crank' causes resistance, i.e. regenerative braking

[Davin Black @ Dec 18th 2007 4:42PM]

they do, but the 'crank' causes resistance, i.e. regenerative braking

[granny down east @ Nov 16th 2007 11:52PM]

Ya know, Faraday was a good looking chap.
(That's for all those "hot Asian chick" comments)

[chris @ Nov 17th 2007 1:10PM]

it's kinetic energy. there's no such thing as "kinetic motion". generating power from motion motion huh? cool!

also, the *gasp* faraday principle is used in every non renewable power plant on earth.

also, airpolgas, most hybrid cars do convert kinetic energy back into battery power when the car's brakes are used.

rabatjoe: energy in = energy out. you would need to supply a monumental amount of energy to move a coil around the earth to generate electricity, or even to hold it still while the earth rotates. and then the earth would stop spinning once it's own rotational kinetic energy had been converted to power.

[Stilgar @ Nov 26th 2007 11:49AM]

Surely this means stillsuits in the near future?