Just saw this article and thought it might be of interest to those people who tend to carry too much technology in their rucksacks 
http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/8874/
http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/8874/
Power-Generating Rucksack
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Eric_Methven
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
match said:Just saw this article and thought it might be of interest to those people who tend to carry too much technology in their rucksacks
http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/8874/
Interesting! Most of us strive endlessly to replicate kit uses in order to keep the weight of our packs down and these scientists are extoling the virtues of a really heavy pack because it'll generate more electricity to power the microwave oven strapped to the bottom of your pack!!! Duh! Who wants a GPS, MP3 player and myriad other gizmos running simultaniously while out walking anyway?
Is this just another fad? Will it ever catch on? I can't think of any uses for it that can't be covered in other ways right now.
Eric
At risk as being hung as a heretic I think it is a good idea. I am ex forces so have good reason.
When operational, a soldier will carry around 35 pounds in his webbing and if he is carrying a bergan of any form it will weigh at least 75 pounds, this gives you a total sum of 110 pounds, a good part of weight carried is in consumables (water, food, ammunition and batteries).
The Armed forces carry a lot of kit requiring batteries from torches and radios to NVG's and thermal imagers. A lot of times he will require resupply of batteries long before he requires resupply of anything else. This will require them to trudge all over the place to get them.
If you take away the requirement to constantly resupply or carry so many, the more power to you, for a start it is a lot more enviromentally friendly than dumping alkali batteries all over the place especially with the efficiency of the current types of rechargeable battery (Ni-Mh and the like).
As long as the kit to do all the charging doesn't outweigh (literally) the kit that it is replacing I can see no reason why not.
The only thing apart from that is try and incorporate some kind of solar panel as well because no soldier wants to be constantly on the move with a heavy bergan.
When operational, a soldier will carry around 35 pounds in his webbing and if he is carrying a bergan of any form it will weigh at least 75 pounds, this gives you a total sum of 110 pounds, a good part of weight carried is in consumables (water, food, ammunition and batteries).
The Armed forces carry a lot of kit requiring batteries from torches and radios to NVG's and thermal imagers. A lot of times he will require resupply of batteries long before he requires resupply of anything else. This will require them to trudge all over the place to get them.
If you take away the requirement to constantly resupply or carry so many, the more power to you, for a start it is a lot more enviromentally friendly than dumping alkali batteries all over the place especially with the efficiency of the current types of rechargeable battery (Ni-Mh and the like).
As long as the kit to do all the charging doesn't outweigh (literally) the kit that it is replacing I can see no reason why not.
The only thing apart from that is try and incorporate some kind of solar panel as well because no soldier wants to be constantly on the move with a heavy bergan.
Got visions of the scalies losing their Landrovers and getting given these new bergens
Battery charging doesnt seem as cushy any more!
Battery charging doesnt seem as cushy any more!
Generating energy to power your head tourch etc. while walking at night seems like a good use for this.
Saves wasting resources on fuel/batteries, afterall all resources that don't grow are limited and will start to dry up some time.
If it can create more energy in its lifespan than it takes to make then that would be a real benifit.
Of course you could always use lemons or even potatoes to make batteries instead I guess.
Saves wasting resources on fuel/batteries, afterall all resources that don't grow are limited and will start to dry up some time.
If it can create more energy in its lifespan than it takes to make then that would be a real benifit.
Of course you could always use lemons or even potatoes to make batteries instead I guess.
Saw a TV programme a while ago about the guy that invented the clockwork radio, he was developing a pietzo charger in a boot that could charge a phone battery.
A pietzo works by "bending" it, apparently, as you walked it was on the bottom so every step produced a small charge which went to the battery (the prototype showed it in a pair of rigger boots with battery in a pocket on the back IIRC) he seemed to have a working model, has anyone heard any more of this?
A pietzo works by "bending" it, apparently, as you walked it was on the bottom so every step produced a small charge which went to the battery (the prototype showed it in a pair of rigger boots with battery in a pocket on the back IIRC) he seemed to have a working model, has anyone heard any more of this?
Didn't somebody invent the never ending battery?
What we need is for goverments to promote this type of technology instead of bowing down to OPEC/multinational corporations.
It's a start, but for bushcrafters its just another expensive gimmic.
I have navigated all over the planet with nothing more than a map,compass and pacing.
Power yor ipod?Learn to sing or buy yourself a tin whistle!
PDA?Leave it at home and lower your stress levels!
Power your torch?Eat more carrots
Do you really walk around at night?The only place that i have done night navigation is in the desert because it's cooler during the night.
Anybody that navigates in the jungle at night has A)never been in the jungle before B)has a death wish or C)wants to feed the alligators.
After all its bushcraft not E&E build a fire and enjoy the night
As for the Armed forces,they probably are developing the technology all ready down at DERA or QnetiC or what ever its called these days.
Give them a few years and they have it cracked.
Thats by two bob anyway
What we need is for goverments to promote this type of technology instead of bowing down to OPEC/multinational corporations.
It's a start, but for bushcrafters its just another expensive gimmic.
I have navigated all over the planet with nothing more than a map,compass and pacing.
Power yor ipod?Learn to sing or buy yourself a tin whistle!
PDA?Leave it at home and lower your stress levels!
Power your torch?Eat more carrots
Do you really walk around at night?The only place that i have done night navigation is in the desert because it's cooler during the night.
Anybody that navigates in the jungle at night has A)never been in the jungle before B)has a death wish or C)wants to feed the alligators.
After all its bushcraft not E&E build a fire and enjoy the night
As for the Armed forces,they probably are developing the technology all ready down at DERA or QnetiC or what ever its called these days.
Give them a few years and they have it cracked.
Thats by two bob anyway
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