An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Hang up and pedal! Then try again: A bike charger for cell phones

Two technologies the continent of Africa can really use: Bicycles and cell phones.

You'll recall what the suffragettes said about the bicycle: That in the US, it was single biggest contributor to women getting the right to vote. Similarly, it's been shown that fascist societies tend to tumble in direct proportion to the availability of private telephone lines.



Both cell phones and bikes seem like something you can easily just airlift into the Dark Continent, without a lot of infrastructure. But of course you need some infrastructure. Thus cell phones don't need a lot of hard wiring, but they do need cell towers and battery chargers. Bikes don't need paved roads or gas stations, but they do require mechanics and spare parts.

Folks in Uganda have designed an ingenious invention to at least keep the phones live: It's a bike generator designed to charge cell phones, so bike owners can be cell phone owners without depending on others for line electricity.



Personally, I think all cell phones around the entire planet should come with renewable energy supplies -- whether through solar power, handcranked dynamos, or the cool new shake-n-bake technology I got in my Christmas stocking last year. (I spend so much time irrationally shaking my Blackberry at the Gods that it would be great if that was actually charging the battery.)

No comments: