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

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

Digital cameras are a part of many of our lives these days – they’re in our phones and computers, and film-loaded cameras are rapidly becoming obsolete. Unfortunately, digital cameras need to be constantly charged, and unless you have a solar charger that means plugging them into the mains. However Japanese company Superheadz are looking to change all that with their new hand-cranked “Sun & Cloud”, which is billed as the world’s first “self-generation” digital camera.

Read the rest of Sun And Cloud: Hand-Cranked Solar Camera Can be Charged Anytime, Anywhere

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Post tags: "solar energy", digital camera, hand cranked camera, kinetic energy, self-generation digital camera, Solar Power, sun & cloud, Superheadz

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.

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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

Electromagnetic fields are almost impossible to get away from in our modern environment—they come from phones, televisions, radios, power sockets and even from thunderstorms. And while we go about our day, blithely unaware of the currents around us, a student at the University of the Arts in Bremen, Germany, decided that he would attempt to harvest their energy. As a result, Dennis Siegel created a small device that can be placed near the source of a field to charge batteries, creating energy from the wasted energy all around us.

Read the rest of Electromagnetic Harvester Charges Batteries by Using the Currents that Surround Us Every Day

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Post tags: Ambient current energy, ambient energy harvester, battery recharging, Dennis Siegel charger, Dennis Siegel electromagnetic harvester, electromagnetic battery charger, Electromagnetic Harvester, green battery charger, green energy, kinetic energy, University of the Arts Bremen, wasted energy harvester

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

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

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

The Sustainable Light Swing is an interactive light installation powered by kinetic energy. Created by Guilherme Pena Costa and Ingrid Gabor, the swing is designed with the purpose of inviting people to use playgrounds at night. This piece is meant to create an immersive spectacle for people to re-imagine public space and civic life. All the energy used to light the LEDs is powered directly in response from the swinging action, making the installation both fun and energetically sustainable!

+ Sustainable Light Swing

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: "lighting design", green lighting, green playground, Guilherme Pena Costa, Ingrid Gabor, interactive light installation, kinetic energy, Sustainable Light Swing

Berlin’s Ozon Cyclery is a fantastic project that is set on changing the German city’s bike-scape by introducing unique custom-made bikes made from bamboo. A team of bike-enthusiasts started the venture just two years ago in a dank basement workshop fixing bicycles and creating some crazy hybrids from reclaimed parts. However, after years of  tinkering they came to the conclusion that the perfect material for bike frames was not metal, but bamboo! Light, durable, and near shock-resistant, their bamboo bikes are built to last.

Read the rest of Ozon Cyclery Builds Bamboo Bikes for Berlin’s Carbon-Conscious Commuters

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Post tags: bamboo bicycles, berlin, bicycles, Blo-Ateliers, Botanical, custom-made bikes, green materials, kinetic energy, Ozon Cyclery, recycling / compost, renewable Bamboo

We’ve seen scientists use viruses to generate electricity in car batteries before, however a team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) believes that they can use harmless viruses to convert mechanical or kinetic energy into electricity. In principle, a generator in the sole of your shoe could charge assorted gadgets on your person.

Read the rest of Berkeley Researchers Create Electricity-Generating Viruses

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Post tags: berkeley piezoelectric battery, electricity generating virus, kinetic energy, kinetic piezoelectric gadgets, piezoelectric energy, piezoelectric virus, piezoelectric virus generator, piezoelectric viruses electricity, U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Going to the gym is of course great for your health, but there are at least two things that we dislike about traditional fitness clubs: you have to exercise inside (which feels particularly silly in the spring and summer), and the machines waste energy when they ought to be producing it. The Great Outdoor Gym Company, a British fitness company, offers a solution to both of those problems with gyms that are located outside and use human-generated energy to power light installations.

Read the rest of Finally, an Outdoor Gym that Generates Energy Instead of Wasting It

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Post tags: "clean energy", England, exercise, fitness, great britain, Great Outdoor Gym Company, human generated power, human power, kinetic energy, Outdoor gym, renewable energy

Jólan van der Wiel unveiled an incredible set of stools shaped using magnetic fields and the force of gravity at the Dutch ‘Transnatural‘ exhibition during the Milan furniture Fair. The stools were made by placing a mix of iron and plastic in-between strong magnets that pull the material into unique and organic shapes. With their energy-efficient production method and wonderfully peculiar shape, these ‘Gravity Stools’ should be at the top of any Salone stalker’s must-see list.

Read the rest of Jolan van der Wiel’s Fantastic Stools Defy Gravity at Milan Design Week

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Post tags: "green furniture", dutch design, gravity, Gravity Stools, green home decor, Jólan van der Wiel, kinetic energy, magnetic fields, Milan Furniture Fair, ransnatural

Ever wish you could charge your iPhone while looking like a complete weirdo? Now you can, with the AIRE mask, a wind-powered device that captures the power of respiration and converts it to electricity via small wind turbines. At best it makes the wearer look like they’re living in a chemical war zone; at worst it’ll make you look like a futuristic Hannibal Lecter. But looks aren’t everything!

Read the rest of AIRE Mask Uses the Power of Human Breath To Charge Gadgets

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Post tags: "wind turbine", AIRE Concept, AIRE mask, iphone charger, Joao Paulo Lammoglia, kinetic energy, mobile charger, renewable energy, wind energy

Many people have had a hand in building a Rube Goldberg machine – whether for a junior high science class, a round of Mouse Trap, or while playing the classic computer game The Incredible Machine. But while we were tinkering away with 2D pulleys, a shoddy plastic cage and a rolling die, some individuals have dedicated countless hours to creating some of the most elaborate machines that do the simplest tasks in a complex way. We’ve rounded up 6 of our favorite mind-boggling designs that depend on a whole lot of creativity and kinetic energy to make magic happen. Hit the jump to see each of them in action!

Read the rest of Top 6 Amazing Rube Goldberg Machines!

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Post tags: best rube goldberg machines, cool rube goldberg machines, eco design, green design, kinetic energy, rube goldberg machine, Rube Goldberg Machines, rube goldberg science

The UK’s climate Change Minister Greg Barker announced today that South West England will soon be home to the country’s first Marine Energy Park. The park, once completed, will stretch from Bristol to the Isles of Scilly and will have the potential to generate 27 gigawatts of power from the waves and tides of the area by 2050 – the same amount of power generated by 8 coal-fired plants. The project will draw on public and private resources with a huge boost from the world’s leading wave energy research and development facilities located along the future Marine Energy Park’s coastline.

Read the rest of UK’S First Marine Energy Park to Harvest 27 Gigawatts of Wave Power by 2050

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Post tags: "clean energy", "sustainable energy", climate change minister, england marine park, future of energy, green energy, greg barker, kinetic energy, marine energy, ocean energy, southwest marine park, tidal energy, tidal turbine, uk marine park, viable renewable energy, wave energy, wave turbine

After an investigation into what he could do with gravity and magnetic fields, Dutch designer Jólan van der Wiel created these peculiar seats by fusing raw materials with the two natural forces. Called ‘Gravity Stools’, each seat is formed using a specially made machine that uses gravity and magnets, instead of electricity. Made from a mix of plastics and iron shavings, these fantastic sustainable designs are unique, low-impact and an inimitable explosion of color.

Read the rest of Jólan van der Wiel’s Amazing Stools are Shaped Using Magnetic Fields and the Force of Gravity

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Post tags: "green furniture", dutch design, experimental design, gravity, green home decor, iron shavings, kinetic energy, magnetic fields, plastic, techniques design, Zero energy

Frequent travelers rejoice! The more you lug your suitcase from place to place, the more power you can produce for your gadgets. Jung Inyoung’s rolling luggage not only stores your gadgets and toiletries, but also kinetically creates power for your laptop or smartphone.

Read the rest of Jung Inyoung’s Sleek Rolling Suitcase Charges Your Devices Kinetically

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Post tags: eco design, gadget charging suitcase, green design, Jung Inyoung, kinetic energy, kinetic suitcase, renewable energy, sustainable design