Charge mobile devices just by walking around? Maybe soon.

Since I can’t actually sit still for more than ten minutes, sign me up for this concept device that you wear on your knee. It weighs nearly four pounds, but generates around five watts of energy as you walk.

“The new device harnesses the energy of a person’s leg as it swings forward during a step. The knee straightens towards the end of the leg-swing before the foot hits the ground. That spins gears inside the device, which drive an electric generator.”

It’s only generating energy during the “braking” phase of a stride, so other than the extra weight, it actually adds no increased resistance to a normal step. Now for a way to store that energy… I don’t know that I want to plug in a smartphone to my knee. Thanks for the tip Phil!

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