Coming soon: foot-powered laptops
A US developer is coming to market with a device which lets users recharge batteries using a foot operated pump.
The StepCharger, from AladdinPower, delivers approximately 20 minutes of laptop power after five minutes of brisk pumping.
This is not a great deal of time but, as AladdinPower customer services rep Max Smith told us, it could come in extremely handy if you're stuck with access to an external power source or a spare battery.
The StepCharger weighs 10.5 ounces and is roughly the size of a paperback book; it can be used to charge anything from satellite phones to digital cameras and video cameras, as well as laptops. In fact it works with most electrical devices with a rechargeable battery. It provides up to six watts charge at 18 Volts DC, according to Smith.
The StepCharger is not yet publicly available (contrary to what it says on the AladdinPowerWeb site). The US Department of Defense has bought an arlier version of the product for land mine testing and detonation (it's suitable as it can be used to generate and release a well-controlled quantity of electrical power).
Unsurprisingly, the DoD is not keen for civilians to use the StepCharger for this application, so AladdinPower is bringing a consumer version to market. This is expected to cost around $150.
The StepCharger provides approx. four times more power than AladdinPower's hand-powered battery charger, which is designed with mobile phones in mind and is already available for $60. AladdinPower is looking for distributors in Europe and Asia.
External links
StepCharger
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