Human Kinetic Energy Conversion

[Jay-qu]

ok well it depends upon the frequency of your output waveform.

 

The time constant of a capacitor (time taken to drain ~63%) is equal to the capacitance in Farads times the load (resistance) across it. You dont happen to have a multimeter do you...

 

So what you want is the discharging of the capacitor to last long enough and not dip to much in voltage while you waveform goes to zero. I think it would be easier if I drew this up.

 

ok so a smaller time constant will result in poor smoothing (the red) and a larger time constant will smooth much nicer (the blue)

[ronthepon]

ok well it depends upon the frequency of your output waveform.

 

The time constant of a capacitor (time taken to drain ~63%) is equal to the capacitance in Farads times the load (resistance) across it. You dont happen to have a multimeter do you...

 

So what you want is the discharging of the capacitor to last long enough and not dip to much in voltage while you waveform goes to zero. I think it would be easier if I drew this up.

 

ok so a smaller time constant will result in poor smoothing (the red) and a larger time constant will smooth much nicer (the blue)

Yeah I do have access to a multimeter (I'm using all my school resources for this job, by the way).

 

I must compliment you on the good explaining power you have.

 

So I should search for a capacitator with as much capacitance as possible? Is that what you said? If so, I have a really good stock.

[arkain101]

This has really stewed in my mind for a while...

 

When you go to the gym, and you see everyone on a treadmill, bike, ellipse, rowing machine, whatever...like mice in wheels...

couldn't that energy expended be used for electricity generation?

 

like turning a dynamo!

 

One of the guys at the gym said he rigged his TV to a treadmill, so when his housewife wanted to watch TV, she had to walk the treadmill to power it.

(subsequently getting in better shape as a by-product)

 

It seems to me that a substantial amount of energy could be produced.

 

Enough at least to power the gym and lighting, or whatever...

 

Does anyone think this is a good idea?

 

I presented this concept on a forum before. Human Energy Harnessing. Human Beings are a massive source of harnasble energy. Traffic. We can build bridges that generate energy as cars drive over them, or in the streets. All the water that comes down from sky scrapers can go through a turbine to generate power. A city should sufficiently turn a generator all day long. Anything that goes up should develope power when it goes down. Garbage should be taken to a location that has a significant lower ground, we make a garbage powered waterfall, as we dump it, it has to be transported regardless so why not tap some energy out of it on the way, then burn it? Sawmills use massive amounts of electricity yet they burn alot of waist wood. They have enough heat energy from the burner to create there own electricity. Giving back to tens of thousands of homes of the grid power. Elevators that power the other one up as they go down. Busy streets could have implemented systems that turn human stepping into power. The same as a river flows, the human flow can be tapped in so many ways that it should learn to re-capture a good fraction of its lost energy.

[ronthepon]

I presented this concept on a forum before. Human Energy Harnessing. Human Beings are a massive source of harnasble energy. Traffic. We can build bridges that generate energy as cars drive over them, or in the streets. All the water that comes down from sky scrapers can go through a turbine to generate power. A city should sufficiently turn a generator all day long. Anything that goes up should develope power when it goes down. Garbage should be taken to a location that has a significant lower ground, we make a garbage powered waterfall, as we dump it, it has to be transported regardless so why not tap some energy out of it on the way, then burn it? Sawmills use massive amounts of electricity yet they burn alot of waist wood. They have enough heat energy from the burner to create there own electricity. Giving back to tens of thousands of homes of the grid power. Elevators that power the other one up as they go down. Busy streets could have implemented systems that turn human stepping into power. The same as a river flows, the human flow can be tapped in so many ways that it should learn to re-capture a good fraction of its lost energy.

Hell yeah. Wasted energy everywhere...

 

SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS stinks!!!

[InfiniteNow]

Seriously Racoon,

 

Write this down and talk to the right people and make it happen. It truly is a wonderful idea.

 

My thought is that the electric companies could work with the gyms, and the energy could be fed back into the electric company (think of users of solar cells, whose electric meter runs backwards and they are paid money by the electric company). Each person exercising could have like a credit card which they swipe at each machine in use (when they start and finish) which captures the amount of energy they've contributed.

 

Then, at the end of the month they could get credited, whether that be with cash, reduced gym fees, or even have credit applied to their home energy account.

 

 

This is one of those ideas that has lots of merit. Make it happen. :thumbs_up

[Racoon]

Thank you for the encouragement InfiniteNow!

I got warm and fuzzy. :hihi:

 

When I eventually get out of school, I'll propose this work at a high-roller club.

Because I am unsure of the cost of altering the machines. I'm more an idea guy, than a wire and sprocket guy. (for now)

 

I don't think people would need to swipe a card or anything, although it would be good to know.

"Hey Jim, noticed you generated a coulpe kilo-watts this spring!"

 

People get on the machines for other reasons. and Energy production would simply be a By-product. Why not generate some juice while your on there, right?

Saving money with power generation could keep membership costs lower, or something...

 

I talked to Coach at school, and he thinks its great idea. I didn't think the energy produced would be substantial, but he said there is a gym he knows on the East Coast who has done this, and that it is! :eek_big:

(so it looks like someone else already thought about this, besides Arkain)

 

If you ever go to a gym at "rush hour" and see the people all lined up like Lab-Rats spinning their wheels, You see what I'm getting at.

 

I think the bikes, ellipse machines and Rowing machines would be easier to convert. 'cuz you have a simple fly-wheel or crank.

Treadmills need electricity to move, and if you ever try to use a treadmill on "off" its not much fun. :thumbs_up

 

Thanks for all the input fella's.

I'll mail everyone a Royalty Check for your contributions! :D

[Jay-qu]

yup, all you would need is probably a 500microFarad but check the internal resistance of the battery first if you can :shrug:

[arkain101]

Funny how our evolution went about eh?

 

We worked at learning how to make things easier for us, untill eventually having everything do almost everything for us.

 

Then we find out we are not adapted to such conditions we look for ways to make up for all the things that are done for us in life.

 

Then we take time out of our day and life just to fill in the result of an easy world by driving to a gym, getting changed, and sitting on a bike in one spot spinning your legs round and round, going nowhere and accomplishning nothing, except health gains all so you can continue on in life healthy, in a world that has too many things done for you.

 

So we have this world now that has technologies that make so many things easy, and these technologies need energy. Yet nearly everytime we expend energy we throw it away and look for another source to continue making it, just so we can suck the juice out of the orange again and wonder what the heck is left sitting in our hands after getting all the juice as if we didnt notice the juice came from the orange.

 

Its kind of silly really. With a few simple implementations every city in america could be electrically powered by the traffic that drives through it, day in, day out to use more power and energy.

 

And so the next stage in our evolution looks like we will learn to capture our lost energy and continue redirecting it strait back into the system and grid as many times as efficiently possible, untill we reach a point that where all things use energy to go and make energy when stopping. Or what uses energy to go up, must make energy to come down. And the only need for energy will be to add that slight push for the shrinking losses in thermodynamics.

[ronthepon]

Just wanted to declare:

 

:esmoking: I finished work on the cycle battery charger. It's working very fine and should be really really good for a sceince project to submit to the power conservation methods title... I'll be famous soon enough!:Glasses:

 

Um... I'll make it a point to mention you, JQ...:)

 

By the way, I am using several capacitators in parallel with each other... getting a huge capacitance.

[Racoon]

:) I finished work on the cycle battery charger.... I'll be famous soon enough!:)

 

Um... I'll make it a point to mention you, JQ...;)

 

Don't forget who gave you the idea initially Ron...:esmoking:

 

Don't make me hire a lawyer!! :Glasses:

 

:)

 

Now you have a Science Project! :)

[ronthepon]

Don't forget who gave you the idea initially Ron...:esmoking:

 

Don't make me hire a lawyer!! :Glasses:

 

:)

 

Now you have a Science Project! :)

Oh ofcourse dude, the whole project is under your name...(Is that copyrighted?) Gulp...

 

And by the way, I'm still without a biology science project fully completed. Not to worry, that is gonna be much more of a breeze...

 

(BIG GRIN)

[Jay-qu]

Good work :lol: the theory is the easy part - you had to put it all together!

[Racoon]

Good work :) the theory is the easy part - you had to put it all together!

 

Wrong Biz-Nitch! :eek:

The hard part is the Idea!

 

Oh, look, an apple fell on my head while I was contemplating under the tree!

 

:lol:

 

I thought of this idea before I ever even knew it was/might be implemented!

so I get credit for being a good thinker!

MEH!

 

oh, and Royalty Checks for all assistance :evil:

lawyer bills for stealing ideas.

 

:D

 

Thanks for the input so far everyone. :)

[waddy]

...Morning gentlemen! ... I have newly joined your elite club for those who have the amazing ability to think 'outside the box' and yes I too this morning was in the gym, looking at all the power that was been used, even tho there was the potential to save some by "human power" and thought ... "yeah power creating gym equipment"... I then typed it in to google and found you guys discussing it and that is about all ... Does this mean it is an innovative idea or just waste of time ..??? Found one other person who reckons treadmills would be a waste of time but other machines might benefit from it ...

I think if the idea was sold from a "it isn't gunna solve the worlds energy problems" but a "it will save you running costs in the gym" .. It is surely a worthwhile idea... and how much would it cost anyway to add the feature into a machine ??? Hardly out I would have thought ?? Dynamos for bikes aren't that expensive ??!!...

 

So anyway has anybody done any furthe feasibility research ??