How about powering your GPSr with your wasted walking motion?

[BelchFire]

WASHINGTON - Call it the ultimate power walk. Researchers have developed a device that generates electrical power from the swing of a walking person's knee. With each stride the leg accelerates and then decelerates, using energy both for moving and braking.

 

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[gallet]

My gut reaction is that this is nonsense. If it is only using braking energy then it will weaken your walking muscles, which is er... one of the reasons we walk.

 

Maybe one of those hats with a propeller might be better, or maybe even a sunhat with a large solar array?

 

I'd prefer to carry a spare battery rather than have wasted muscles to save 0.1c of recharging current.

[+julianh]

Curses!!!

 

I have been working on a ruggedized cross-country pogo stick with a rheostatic fluid damper and a built in hydraulic pump which would power a small generator. The prototype only weighs 75 kg, but with a bit of development, I reckon I could get it down to 60 kg or so. I figured I could have sold a million of these to keen geocachers everywhere, but I guess they have just blown me out of the water!