Backpack generates power from walking

An example of a technology that's not quite there yet. I mean, who walks with 85 pounds in a backpack? Still, pretty cool. What about a backpack made of solar photovoltaic cells?

Backpack generates power from walking

Friday, September 9, 2005; Posted: 10:06 a.m. EDT (14:06 GMT)

WASHINGTON
(Reuters) -- A backpack that converts a plodding gait into electricity could soon be charging up mobile phones, navigation devices and even portable disc players, U.S.-based researchers said on Thursday.

Their backpack design converts mechanical energy from up-and-down movement of the backpack's cargo to electricity during normal walking.

The backpack is deliberately designed to shake around a bit. The up-and-down movement of the backpack's cargo compartment against the frame of the pack turns a gear connected to a generator. . . .

Humping along just under 85 pounds (38 kg) of weight in the backpack can produce up to 7 watts of electricity, Lawrence Rome and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania report. . . .