A new kind of 'backpack generator'

[John in AR]

I've seen the backpacks with built-in solar panels before, for charging laptops, radios, gps's, etc. But this one uses the motion of walking to generate power.

Basically a fixed frame on the wearer, with the pack 'floating' on a pair of rails, using the up/down motion for generation. If done right, it could probably also reduce perceived pack motion (and therefore fatigue) to the wearer, by acting as a shock absorber of sorts.

It's still an experimental thing, at UPenn.


http://www.livescience.com/technology/050908_backpack_power.html

[RIKA]

Hey, no jokes about harnessing a woman's natural jiggle for power. :D

(Beat ya to it Magnum and all you guys!) :D :D

RIKA

[KJUN]

Actually, my first thought was of stillsuits and "heel pumps."

[Wylycoyte]

Actually, my first thought was of stillsuits and "heel pumps."

Kinky bastard!

[Hillbilly]

That energy comes from somewhere. :) They haven't found any "free" energy yet. :scatter:

[Aslan]

The energy isn't free, it's mostly energy that would otherwise be wasted, plus a slight amount of additional energy.

The concept is interesting - of course I find it funny as hell that it mentions the 80lb packs that our soldiers currently carry - I thought it was impossible to carry more than 40lbs of gear without being a super man or some such?

:devil:

[Hillbilly]

I was stationed in German in the 80's and we were doing a tour on a small border camp. We had just a platoon and a half on the camp so we were a bit understrength, and we had a whole barracks that were empty. While we were out there enjoying the Bavarian forest's snowy beauty, a Special Forces unit doing a training exercise in our sector found out that we were located nearby and they had a few people who had medical problems like twisted ankles and stuff like that, so they came over to our camp so our medics could help them out. Their guys went back and told them about the extra(empty) warm barracks and within a few days the whole group was finding reasons to spend some time visiting us. They were walking around carrying VERY heavy packs, and many of them were having problems doing that in knee-deep(or deeper) snow. Even without the snow, that much weight is tough to carry around. :headbang:

[glynn]

Why do you have to LIE about what I say, hmm? I said you can't RUN AND GUN properly, as a civilian survivalist, with more than 50 lbs. Sure, you can stumble along, with your head where it nearly always is, with 80 lbs. So what? It's called being STUPID, COUNTING on your enemies being ignorant peasants, COUNTING on your buddies to help you, COUNTING on your body armor to save you.

[Aslan]

Nobody has said anything about running and gunning with such a load. We've always advocated dropping the main pack if necessary to fight. (A concept you keep conveniently ignoring).

You are the one that makes any load into only a running and gunning load out. You always want to start out crippled in your gear. If you think it's going to be nothing but running and gunning, then you won't survive very long at all.

The key is avoiding battle and thriving, not barely getting by.

And, yes, you do and have made the claims about carrying heavy loads. In fact, one of your favorite rants is how anyone with a .308 automatically needs 80lbs of gear.

you can re-write history if you want, but nobody is lying about what's been said.

:devil:

[Hillbilly]

Nobody ELSE is lying about that, anyway. :dgrin:

[glynn]

I don't ignore anything. What YOU constantly ignore is the reality of not having a supply sergaent to reissue that gear. If you drop it, post shtf, the odds are extremely high that you'll never see it again.

[Aslan]

I don't ignore anything. What YOU constantly ignore is the reality of not having a supply sergaent to reissue that gear. If you drop it, post shtf, the odds are extremely high that you'll never see it again.

Yep, that's the way it may go - anything dropped is lost forever - so what?

That's that whole point of layering intelligently. If necessary, you drop your second line gear too.

Your main survival tool had better be your wits.

The point is surviving.

Even without seeing combat, you have have to abandon all your gear.

You seem to be hung up on the, let me get it all straight, "resupply, chopper evac, safe base, million dollar fort, etc."

We recognize that if we drop it, we may never see it again. You keep inventing non-existing reasons and excuses that we have never used.

So, again, you are ignoring what we've said all along.

:devil: