The nPower PEG (short for “personal energy generator”) contains a weight, a spring, some inductive coils and a battery. Put it in your pocket or your backpack, and it wiggles around with your body’s natural movements. As the internal weight moves, it generates electricity in the coils, which gradually charges up the battery. You can then transfer that power to your phone or iPod via a mini USB port and an adapter cable.
It’s a brilliant idea, and anyone who has ever watched their battery indicator dwindle to nothing will surely love the idea of getting energy from nothing more than walking and fidgeting. However, for power-hungry smartphones, you’ll only get about a minute of talk time for every 15 to 30 minutes of walking, the company says. That’s hardly enough to keep your phone alive all day.
It might make more sense for smaller gadgets like the iPod nano, for which it’ll deliver a minute of use for every minute you walk.
Of course, you can always grab the nPower PEG and shake it, Shake Weight-style, to generate energy on demand. But you’ll feel kind of silly doing it.
The $160 nPower PEG debuted a year ago, and just started shipping this fall. Tremont Electric, which makes the gizmo in Cleveland, Ohio, says it had some difficulty meeting demand but is ramping up production and will begin shipping new orders in February.
nPower PEG (Tremont Electric)
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