Gotwind and Orange Launch Human Powered Mobile Phone Charger

gotwind power pump charger image
Image via Orange

The Glastonbury Music Festival will have something new from Gotwind and Orange this year. In the past they've set up cool solar and wind charging stations for mobile phones. But this time, charging up will be thanks to human power.

This new device is used much like a tire pump. But it has a twist:

The Orange Power Pump, created by GotWind, the renewable energy experts, harnesses kinetic energy from an air bed foot pump, a standard piece of camping equipment, which in turn drives a turbine within the Power Pump. This energy is then converted into an electrical current which can re-charge your mobile phone.

There's a lot more detail on how it works at Gotwind. About 1 minute's worth of foot pumping at one pump per second (yeah, prepare to sweat just a little) will be enough charge to make a 5 minute phone call. It's not ideal for fully charging a dead battery unless you want a real workout, which is why there will be the "traditional" solar and wind stations located around the festival as well.

However, it will be a lot more portable and reliable for off grid phone charging, since a small pump and a little leg work is around when sun and wind aren't. It'll be showcased at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, taking place at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset, UK June 24-28. And it could likely become a regular piece of equipment for camping and emergency kits.

More on Gotwind
Gotwind.org Wind-Powered Cell Phone Charger
CES 2009: LG and GotWind's Mobile Phone Charging Station (Video)
Renewable Energy Mobile Phone Charging Station to Debut at Glastonbury Festival