Read the rest of Brilliant Energy-Generating JF-Kit House is Powered by People!

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "green furniture", Architecture, Daylighting, Elii, gym, Health, Jane Fonda Kit House, JF-Kit, kinetic energy, off-grid, self sufficiency, spanish design

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Post tags: eco design, Energy Floors, green design, kinetic energy tiles, renewable energy, Sustainable dance floor, sustainable design, Temple Night Club

A new bike-powered generator can help cyclists power their lives, “one pedal at a time”. The Siva Cycle Atom clips directly to your bike and harnesses your pedal-pushing energy, storing it in a rechargeable battery. Urban bikers can easily power their devices on the go by connecting them to a usb cord. Cyclists can nab their Atom by supporting the creators’ Kickstarter campaign.


Read the rest of Siva Cycle’s Atom Generator Charges Your Gadgets While You Ride

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Post tags: bicycle generator, bike powered generator, eco design, green design, kinetic energy, lithium batteries, rechargeable kinetic generator, Siva Cycle Atom, sustainable design

The annual Paris Marathon took the term “energetic workout” to the next level this past weekend by harnessing kinetic energy from over 40,000 participating runners. Sponsored by Schneider Energy, the initiative covered part of the marathon course with energy-harvesting tiles that were activated as participants ran across them. Each runner’s step yielded 8 watts of energy, which was used to power electric signs and display screens throughout the marathon.

Read the rest of Kinetic Energy-Harvesting Tiles Generate Power from Paris Marathon Runners

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Post tags: eco design, green design, kinetic energy, kinetic energy harvesting tiles, kinetic energy marathon, Paris Marathon, Pavegen Systems, sustainable design

Read the rest of Soundscraper Transforms Vibrations from City Noise Pollution into Green Energy

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", Cedric Dounval, Design, eco design, evolo skyscraper competition, green energy, Julien Bourgeois, kinetic energy, Olivier Colliez, Romain Grouselle, Savinien de Pizzol, Soundscraper, sustainable design

A few years ago Uncharted Play unveiled designs for an energy-generating soccer ball that can generate power through play—and now the company has launched a Kickstarter campaign to go into full-scale production of the SOCCKET ball. Able to power an LED light for three hours after just 30 minutes of play, SOCCKET’s creators intend for the ball to provide a fun source of much-needed electricity for young people in the developing world—in areas where many still rely on kerosene lamps or candlelight in order to work after sundown. With their Kickstarter campaign rapidly gaining support, Uncharted Play hopes to be able to ramp up production of the SOCCKET to distribute the devices to communities in need around the globe.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", candle light, developing nations, energy generating soccer ball, green lighting, kerosene lamps, kinetic energy, led light, LED lighting, power developing country, renewable energy, soccket, Uncharted Play

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Post tags: "clean energy", eco-friendly power sources, energy generating soccer ball, green design, green soccer ball, kinetically powered Soccket ball, off-grid power sources, soccer ball energy, Soccket Energy-Harnessing Soccer Ball, Uncharted Play, Uncharted Play Kickstarter

Riding a bicycle is normally a healthy alternative to driving a gas-guzzling vehicle. But in places like Beijing where air pollution is hitting record levels, keeping yourself separated from the deadly atmosphere is important for your health. Artist Matt Hope has created an ingenious pedal-powered air filtration system that provides clean air to the rider as it moves. Using an IKEA perforated garbage can, moped helmet, fighter-pilot breathing mask, wheel-powered generator, and home air filtration system, the entire contraption uses human energy to clear the air.

Read the rest of Matt Hope’s ‘Breathing Bike’ Creates Clean Air in Polluted Beijing as it Rides

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Post tags: air filtration, Beijing, breathing bike, clean air, generator, ikea, matt hope, pedal, Pollution, smog

Sick of your batteries dying at the very moment you need to make a call, flick on a flashlight, or find your position on a GPS when you are lost in the outdoors? Introducing the Voltmaker – an innovative and rapid kinetic electricity generator inspired by a fan or ratchet system. The Voltmaker is ideal for hikers and those who are constantly on the move – when you need a charge, simply extend the Voltmaker’s arm and give it a whirl to generate a steady source of energy. Small and compact, the device tucks away nicely in your backpack, handbag, glove box or even your jacket pocket ready to save the day.

+ The Voltmaker

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Post tags: "clean energy", alternative energy, clean tech, gadget charger, green backpacking charger, green camping, green design, green gadgetes, green hiking gadget, kinetic energy charger, renewable energy, renewable energy charger, sustainable charger, sustainable design, voltmaker

Researchers at MIT just developed a new bio-polymer film that is able to generate electricity from a readily available source: water vapor. The material changes its shape as it absorbs evaporated water. As the bio-polymer film repeatedly curls and unfurls it drives robotic limbs, which in turn generate enough electricity to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices.

Read the rest of MIT Develops Polymer Film That Harvests Energy From Water Vapor

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Post tags: bio-polymer film, devices, gadgets, MIT, piezoelectric, piezoelectric clothing, polymer film, sweat power, water power, water vapor

2012 was a banner year for renewable energy that saw scientists and engineers pushing the envelope towards ever more efficient and sustainable ways of producing power. Entire nations reaped the benefits of photovoltaics during record production periods while upstart innovators brought alternative energy into our own backyards. From ultra-efficient bird-friendly wind turbines and pop-up DIY photovoltaic factories to spherical solar cells that harvest light from every direction, read on for our top renewable energy stories of 2012 – and make sure to vote for your favorite!

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "sustainable energy", "wind power", 2012 energy, 6 best energy posts of 2012, 6 best renewable energy stories of 2012, alternative energy, green design, inhabitat top energy stories 2012, kinetic energy, renewable energy, Solar Power, sustainable design, sustainable energy sources, top energy posts

Imagine lounging at a spa poolside, relaxing as the delicate interplay of light and shadow filtering from the canopy above melts your stress away. But instead of trees setting the mood, the roof above is composed of two perforated moving Tessellate panels designed by Chuck Hoberman. Welcome to the KAFD Portal Spas — two lush retreats intended for Riyadh by architectural firm WORKSBUREAU. One for men and one for women, the getaways will resemble giant greenhouses, complete with lush gardens, a three-story tower of plants, and a massive atrium.

Read the rest of Chuck Hoberman Designs Kinetic Building Canopy to Filter Sunlight in Riyadh

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Post tags: chuck hoberman, hoberman sphere, kafd portal spas, kinetic, pierced titanium, Riyadh, saudi arabia, spa, sunlight, worskbureau

Anyone who has stood next to a train pulling into a station can attest to the immense power it produces as it rattles along the rails. Scientists at Stony Brook University recently won a national award their mechanical motion rectifier (MMR)-based Railroad Energy Harvester – an invention that harvests electricity from the vibrations produced by railroad trains. The invention has the potential to save millions in railroad energy costs while reducing carbon emissions.

Read the rest of New Technology Harvests Electricity From Railroad Train Track Vibrations

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Post tags: ac, CO2, dc, electric truck, energy harvesting and storage usa 2012, lei zuo, LLC/Harvest NRG inc, mechanical motion rectifier, mmr, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), railroad energy harvester, stony brook university, suny research foundation, us department of transporation

Today clean energy storage system manufacturer VYCON announced that it has been awarded a $3.6 Million contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to install a flywheel energy recovery system at the Red Line Westlake/MacArthur Park Station. LA Metro has already installed a photovoltaic system with a 2 Megawatt capacity, and now VYCON’s Wayside Energy Storage Substation (WESS) project will add another 2 Megawatts of green energy capacity to the rail system.

Read the rest of LA Metro Signs $3.6 Million Deal With VYCON to Harvest Energy from Speeding Subway Trains

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Post tags: clean energy flywheel systems, clean energy storage, eliminating train slowdowns, green energy, increasing train reliability, Los Angeles Metro, powering rail systems, providing redundant power for trains, rail system, recycling kinetic energy, replacing traction power substations, saving electricity, VYCON, Wayside Energy Storage Substation

Technology advances in the blink of an eye – while many are obsessed with the latest high-tech devices, let’s not forget that low-tech innovation can also be revolutionary. ECAL students Damien Ludi and Colin Peillex have created a brilliant “Rocking Knit” chair that uses kinetic energy generated from the chair’s gliding motion to knit a winter hat while you sit! The pair unveiled the multitasking rocker at ECAL‘s ‘Low-Tech Factory’ exposition during Designers’ Saturday in Langenthal, Switzerland.

Read the rest of Brilliant ‘Rocking Knit’ Chair Creates Winter Hats While You Sit!

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Post tags: "green furniture", Design, ECAL, Fashion, human power, knitting, low tech, rocking chair, winter clothing

Professor Stephen Salter of the University of Edinburgh believes that a device made from discarded car tires could prevent the formation of superstorms such as Hurricane Sandy. He calls his invention the “Salter Sink“, and it’s essentially a wave-powered pump made of car tires lashed together to form a giant 80-100 meter ring that is filled with a buoyant material, such as foamed concrete. Ocean waves push hot water onto the top of the cylinder, and then gravity pushes it 200 feet below, where it mixes with cooler water, reducing the surface temperature of the ocean and resulting evaporation that causes potentially devastating low pressure systems to form. Salter claims that his wave-powered devices could yield heat transfer rates of up to 10 billion watts, making them a powerful force in mitigating the formation of storms.

Read the rest of British Scientist Claims Damage from Hurricane Sandy Could Have Been Prevented With Discarded Car Tires

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Post tags: bill gates, car tires, Hurricane Sandy, intellectual ventures, nathan myhrvold, pump, salter sink, stephen salter, UK, university of edinburgh, waves

A kinetic energy-powered robotic “elephant clock” designed in the 13th century by Al-Jazari, the Muslim “father of robotics,” now serves as a centerpiece of the Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai. According to Atlas Obscura, the robotic clock was commissioned for the 2005 opening of the enormous 3.5-million-square-foot mall. The design is based on drawings and instructions from Al-Jazari’s 1206 AD Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices, a manuscript describing 50 machines such as animal and humanoid automata, automatic gates and doors, as well as clocks.

Read the rest of Robotic Elephant Water Clock Designed in 1206 AD Recreated in Dubai Shopping Mall

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Post tags: al jazari, arab, automata, automaton, clock, Design, Elephant, engineer, engineering, ibn battuta mall, inventor, Muslim, photo, robotic, robotics

Project Cycling Bus is a concept by Rever Design Studio for a cycling double decker bus. On the second level, there are 24-27 active passenger cycles to assist in generating the power reserve of the electric bus. The lower level of the bus is for passive passengers and a bus driver. The double decker bus also comes with a back room for more than 30 folding or non-folding bicycles.

+ Project Cycling Bus

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Post tags: cycling, double-decker bus, electric double decker bus, kinetic energy, Olympic Games, Olympic Games Rio 2016, people-powered, Project Cycling Bus, Projecto Onibus Ciclista, Rever Design Studio, Rio 2016

A dual purpose bicycle (DPB) is a bicycle which can be used for both transportation and for power production. The modification consists of a free wheel, a bottom bracket and a “V” pulley. The DPB can power a rice thresher, a peanut sheller, a circular saw, a wooden lathe, a piston pump and many other implements that require rotary motion.

+ Technology for the Poor

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Post tags: "sustainable development", bicycle, bike, developing world, dual purpose bicycle, energy efficient design, energy generating bicycle, green design, pedal power, power bike, renewable energy, sustainable design

Remember Jólan van der Wiel‘s amazing stools shaped by gravity? This time he’s used the same process, and a crazy self-made machine, to make some spiky candleholders! The aptly named ‘Gravity Candleholders’ were unveiled at this year’s bustling Berlin DMY at Tempelhof Airport, leaving visitors open-mouthed thanks to its fantastic spiky shape.

Read the rest of Jólan van der Wiel’s Cool Spiky Candleholders Defy Gravity

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Post tags: 'Gravity Candleholders, dmy berlin, green products, Iron, Jólan van der Wiel, kinetic energy, plastic