Webcycle provides pedal-powered internet, reason to dodge browser-enlarging Flash sites

Need an excuse to get some cardio into your life? Can't live without ye old internet? Thanks to Matt Grey and Tom Scott, the answer to your weight loss woes is pictured above. The aptly-titled Webcycle is essentially a sensor-laden fitness bike that requires users to pedal faster in order to snag more throughput. An Ubuntu-based laptop is wired up to an Arduino and an array of sensors that allow more bits and bytes to seep through based on how hard the rider is working. A simple slow pedal is all it takes to load mobile pages and text-heavy sites, but if you're hoping to actually watch the video after the break, you'll certainly need to kick things up a notch. Pure brilliance, we say.

[Thanks, Yoda]

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 5:15AM]

I'll just prop my Ipod Touch up on it and pedal how ever fast I want to.

[MarnBeast Posted Aug 10th 2009 6:23AM]

So now the faster you pedal, the... wait, why are you still pedaling again?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 5:21AM]

maybe if it was the bike from jackass with the BJ head.....

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 8:32AM]

a haha yeah :) or if it was just the internet that you didnt need to pedal for :D

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 5:38AM]

nice.

[3rdsun Posted Aug 10th 2009 10:25AM]

sign me up as reseller of this badboy if it come to production. We all know fat people need an excuse to get some exercise

[Ioannis Posted Aug 10th 2009 6:19AM]

should combine it with battery charging

[Amun Posted Aug 10th 2009 6:58AM]

That's what I was thinking before I read the post.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 12:26PM]

Yeah I was hoping for this too, that'd actually be close to useful. In a power outage or something, but then again the internet connection would be dead too so meh.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 7:06AM]

Finally - a cure for internet addiction!

I wonder how hard I would have to pedal to download anything in BitTorrent, though.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 7:46AM]

I think i would be in perfect shape to win Tour de France! :D

[rduran Posted Aug 10th 2009 10:26AM]

You'd pretty much have to be Lance Armstrong to run bittorrent and actually be able to last to reach a seed ratio of 1.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 7:19AM]

It's NOT pedal powered.

The bandwidth is limited by the laptop itself, depending on the rpm reading it gets from the Arduino.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 7:23AM]

Not to say it isn't clever though.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 7:54AM]

peddling to watch a video will not help you avoid obstacles

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 10th 2009 8:29AM]

Check out fatty in the back...
He soooo doesn't wanna be there.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 11th 2009 3:21AM]

Why does seemingly every computer/WoW/D&D geek have to have long hair in a "80's porn star" pony tail? gross...