Could you see yourself sitting down before your tv and generating your own electricity for your tv or other electric devices? If you look at this unique energy-generating bike you might see yourself pedaling away at home. Exercising and generating power at the same moment while enjoying a movie, that’s a true win-win situation.
In France they tried something like that, an initiative launched in 2012 by students of the School of Mines in Saint-Étienne. They wanted to study the electricity production of pedaling, to power projection equipment at the year’s Curious Travelers Film Festival in Saint-Étienne.
Something simular was done in New York in 2011 where 250 volunteer cyclists produced NYC’s first pedal-powered music festival, organized by Pedal Power NYC.
Pedaling away for energy to see a movie
In Saint-Étienne a collective was formed called Open Sources and they worked together with another firm, BP design. Open Sources and BP design developed 5 plastic bike prototypes. Two of them were made in their workshop with reuse materials like old beds for the seat, market crates and supermarket hardboard, old church benches for the frame. Three others where made in plastic, done by some subcontractors selected by BP Design. Each prototype produced about 100W. After testing only three bikes were enough to supply the video projector for a 54 minutes long documentary.
Photos © Open Sources
Open Sources is an association based in Saint-Étienne which works on reuse issues and local practices. Open Source is multidisciplinary and their mission is to educate the public to reduce waste through the practice of reuse.
“We put our expertise to projects based on the ethical principles of the circular economy and physical sobriety. Specialized in the field of sustainable design, Open source acts as a collaborative platform to serve all public (individuals, associations, institutions, companies). We work in various fields such as training, prototyping, product / service / system design, set design or space planning.”
Design by Open Sources
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