Is this usable and can we make bicycles that harvest energy from riding them without making them more difficult to pedal?
Starts at 1:35
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCn28O_mpRo
Well, I'd rate the claim to be a bit... exaggerated. Since a trained athlete in good condition can produce about 200 Watts, maybe 300 for a short burst... well, do the math. Let's put it this way: you're not going to be able to drive your QEG with bicycle pedal-power. But you probably could light a few LEDs for 24 hours with an hour of pedalling.
Selling a fruit-flavored caffeine drink for inflated prices, and making unsubstantiated claims about the "nutritional" value of it.... well, I guess there are worse ways to make billions of dollars.
He wants to provide this to the poor still living off candle light it sounds like, so powering some LED's is fine. I doubt he'll be running any power tools off this but maybe it will be helpful to them. Even a billionaire will run out of $ if he plans to just give them away. Get De Beers out of Africa and they might be able to buy some of these. Unless the whole catch here is to buy his energy drink so that you have the energy to drive this generator.
I've never tried it but his drink is in just about every gas station and 7 Eleven around here so I guess someone likes it. All you have to do these days is put "Energy" or "Vitamins" on the label and tap water with some caffeine and sugar sells pretty well I guess. I call dibs on the new "Vitamin Energy" drink I just thought up ::)
Quote from: MagnaProp on October 16, 2015, 10:20:04 PM
Unless the whole catch here is to buy his energy drink so that you have the energy to drive this generator.
Bingo! I think you have nailed it.
Bill
Hope not but time will tell. Video says he is giving away 99 percent of his fortune. Big difference between "giving away" and "investing". I think he is going with the latter. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 1 percent of 4 billion is still a nice chunk of change if he is giving it away.