Field Testing the "Kinkajuice" Human-Powered Charger
Behold, the Kinkajuice!
As part of the DtM visit to Mali in November of 2004, team member Christine Lin brought along a Kinkajuice, a human-powered charger for the Kinkajou, for field testing. Developed by MIT students in the 2.009 class, the Kinkajuice is an efficient way to charge batteries in places where electricity is hard to come by and provides an alternative method of powering the Kinkajou that does not require a solar panel.
Based on an erg (rowing) machine, the Kinkajuice uses the long muscle groups of the legs and back to get a long power stroke, which is converted to DC power and stored in an attached 12V battery. The efficiency of the Kinkajuice is significantly higher than that of bicycle chargers or hand-cranks. Given the right plug, the Kinkajuice should be able to power a 5-15W device.
See the Kinkajuice brochure: [pdf]
Read the final project report: [pdf]
Made for each other...
Kinkajuice Team members
Christine Lin demonstrating the Kinkajuice at an elementary school in the villlage of Sebenakoro
A young girl giving the Kinkajuice a try at the Institute for Popular Education in Kati.
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