Work out while you work: The pedal-powered desk

A pair of entrepreneurs are seeking funding for their 'dynopod' concepts - pedal-powered workstations that exploit the efficiency of a bicycle to power a range of tools including laptops, food processors and water pumps.

It is estimated that 80% of us in Britain now work in offices, and spending six hours or more per day stationary at our desks, anchored to wheelie chairs. Unless you cycle or walk to work, a desk-based services job can mean long periods of physical inactivity and increased risk of cardiac problems.

Rather than the active fields-and-factories work of our ancestors, we are more likely to be glued to email programmes and spreadsheets, with almost two thirds not doing enough physical activity to maintain a healthy body. Thank goodness then, for two US-based entrepreneurs, the inventors of a pedal-powered workstation that exploits the efficiency of a bicycle and manpower, working together to power any number of desktop gadgets .

These ‘dynopods’ go one step further than the standing desks which have been touted for some years as a way of nudging sedentary workers into moving about more. The design exploits the special mechanics of bicycle gears to generate energy. A human on a bicycle is thought to be among the most efficient machines ever invented, and riding one is at least four times more energy efficient than walking.

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Multi-function Pedal Power Demonstration from Pedal Power on Vimeo.

Pedalling in one of the dynopods for just two hours of their working day, an office employee could generate 3-6 hours of charge for their laptop or the equivalent of 30-40 hours charge time for a mobile phone. Andy Wekin and Steve Blood have two versions of the design which in the past they have used to power all manner of household appliances and tools. Now they are seeking crowdfunding to allow them to release the designs to a wider group of designers and engineers to allow them to produce units which are quieter and more affordable. {{cta-cycling}}