Bike Power Charger

Inhabitat: Imagine never having to plug your cellphone into the wall again! Now you can just plug it into your bike with Oscar L’Hermitte’s “Watts Maker” cell phone charger. The system consists of a small kinetic generator that provides power to your mobile phone while you take an evening ride around the neighborhood or pedal to work. This model takes about 90 minutes to go from dead to fully charged, and it produces energy as long as the wheels keep turning.
The Watts Maker works upon the same principle as kinetic bike lights – energy is created by the revolution of the wheel, so even if the bike is coasting it will still be sending power into your phone. Now that’s sweat equity.
Designer, or perhaps avid MacGyver fan, Oscar L’Hermitte is a current product design student at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in London. A native Parisian, Oscar emphasizes the unique relationship humans have with objects, involving the user in the design process, and keeping things simple: “I think it is a designer’s responsibility to observe every single aspect of daily life, and to constantly question the existence of things.” Agreed.
BIKE POWER: The Pedal-Powered Cell Phone Charger [Inhabitat]