[BabyPeanut]

http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi374.htm

A typical treadmill shift lasted eight hours. Workers spent 40 percent of that time resting. That's a lot worse than it sounds. It meant raising the lower half of their bodies 11,000 feet per day. And yet, hard as it was, 200 men and women could hardly match the output of one water wheel.

But you don't need to be in a place with moving water to do it. Once you use up all the hydro locations and you want to expand then what?

[Jack]

Hmm..maybe we should put a chocolate bar in front of them, just out of reach. For "turbo" mode, of course!

[Devil]

Not a very good solution. An average bloke can sustain an output of mechanical energy of only about 100 W over any length of time. If you consider a household may average 1 kW of consumption, as a ball-park figure, it means you will need 30 guys (3 x 8-hour shifts) just to power it.

[TrueKaiser]

talks about slave labor.

[JLK]

Every little bit counts.

[Ludi]

What a sick idea.

[BabyPeanut]

CLEAN! RENEWABLE!

[Jack]

CLEAN! RENEWABLE!

Best of all, it includes a free fitness plan!

[kpeavey]

Call it "Community Service"
For a misdemeanor you get sentenced to 100 kilowatts
For a class C felony, you get a megawatt.

For Hard Labor, add razor wire or a hungry rotweiler.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

its just an old fashioned treadmill. Given what we know about gears etc, I am suprised someone hasn't come up with some way to multiply the effects of the effort put in.

[Jack]

its just an old fashioned treadmill. Given what we know about gears etc, I am suprised someone hasn't come up with some way to multiply the effects of the effort put in.

Better yet, put the things in a gym and make people pay to generate electricity!

[dduck]

kpeavy posts:
Call it "Community Service"
For a misdemeanor you get sentenced to 100 kilowatts
For a class C felony, you get a megawatt.

Comeon guys. This is an energy thread, so even when we are having fun, we should get the units right. It would take about a thousand guys to sustain 100 KW for any significant time. The sentence would have to be in KW-hours or Megawatt-hours.
dduck

[mortifiedpenguin]

I had an idea like this once. We would replace all the machines in gyms with electricity generating ones. Millions of people exercise in gyms every day- why not get some energy out of it?

[BabyPeanut]

I had an idea like this once. We would replace all the machines in gyms with electricity generating ones. Millions of people exercise in gyms every day- why not get some energy out of it?

Because gym treadmills consume electricity to move against the direction of the person exercising thereby letting them stay in place?

Maybe a prisoner could be used to move the treadmill surface for the consumer instead of an electric motor. That would cut down on consumption.

[Jack]

Because gym treadmills consume electricity to move against the direction of the person exercising thereby letting them stay in place?

Not always. Some machines use a generator that works against a resistive load. The resistive load can be varied to increase the rigor of the workout.

So, all we have to do is hook the think into the grid!

[nocar]

Well, I remember having visited a science center where you could get on a stationary bike to power a television and you were able to see yourself more or less clearly on the television, depending on your strength. That was fun for a little while.

Also of course an old fashioned bicycle generator will keep the head light on. Much harder to pedal than otherwise, and then it goes out when you stop and still need it. I keep a generator on my bike to have light when the battery is gone on my regular headlight.

Haven't you seen movies about the civilians in WWII? In the bomb safe underground rooms they had bicycles for generating light when necessary

So, it is entirely possible to human power some minor electric gadgets, but it is hard work. That's why two-holes-in-the wall has become so popular.

[Liamj]

its just an old fashioned treadmill. Given what we know about gears etc, I am suprised someone hasn't come up with some way to multiply the effects of the effort put in.

I believe, UKE, that gears wouldn't help, except maybe to reduce wear & tear on the treader. Work applied is work applied, regardless of gearing, indeed gearing can reduce the effective work - can anyone correct/support me on this?
Am accumulating bits for a bike driven charger for a 12V battery, would like to be sure.