84
votesMark Frauenfelder of BoingBoing says:
Playground toys like swings, merry go rounds, and other human-powered equipment should be hooked up to pumps and generators. Kids and their parents could get paid to play in the playgrounds.
What technology would be better used for something other than its original purpose?
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Stever
September 10th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Rather than paying the patrons,
Why not create more of a self benefiting playground.
While using the merry-go-round, swings, see-saws would be thought of as the generating parts of the grounds, there could be toys that use the power from the day’s production.
No need for batteries use the power grid to dump the power into and to reclaim the made energy. Turning the entire grid into a battery. Rather than the power company paying out for the use of it in nickel and dime checks that would cost more to print than to pay out for the patron parents. Allowing for the free use of other power related toys or services within the park. Making for less tax cost for the upkeep of the park itself.
In the best case, if the power generated is constantly more than it uses, that just means there’s more reason to put that credit from the power company back into the park for new equipment. Or if nothing else some extra money to keep the park clean.
September 19th, 2007 at 3:27 am
Take that idea one step further, and we have an entire health club, all of the excercise equipment generating electricity, dumping all kinds of human energy into the power grid. Californias brown-outs would be a thing of the past. Make the power company pay the owners of the gym, and next thing you know, there is free membership, or incentives to join. Best of all, each and every person that goes there gets to excercise for the future of humanity.
September 24th, 2007 at 6:33 am
Yeah that’s cool, reminds me of a hamster powered paper shredder I saw.