Energy-Harvesting Rocking Chair


Photo: Design Boom


Rochus Jacob designed and built the Murakami Chair. As the user rocks back and forth during the day, the chair charges a battery that powers the lamp. Jacob writes:

I was looking for opportunities to generate energy through activities we naturally do. The final result is a rocking chair that enables the user to experience production and consumption of electricity in a gentle and rewarding way. An abstract process becomes tangible and eventually cultivates natural awareness. Complexity is covered by simplicity. Advanced nano-dynamo technology which is built in to the skids of the chair and more efficient light sources such as the newly developed OLED generation makes it possible to build a rocking chair with a reading lamp running on electricity generated from the rocking motion. During daylight the energy gets stored in a battery pack. The construction of the flat and bendable organic light emitting diodes allows new form factors such as using the traditional shape of a lamp but instead of having a light bulb the lampshade himself turns out to be the light source. To have a drastic reduction of consumption the big challenge will be to make consuming less feel like getting more.


Link via Make

Skeptic here. I cannot find any reference to "nano-dynamo" anywhere on the web except in reference to this chair. As someone who spent five years looking for (and eventually trying to invent) a small scale generator, I think the chair and the nano-dynamo are a hoax.
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Typical "design" project where the "artist" proposes a concept, mocks up a design, in this case probably with a battery powered light at the top. And then talks about the imaginary things that you would need to make it an actual design. I am with Edward on not finding any reference to what they mean by "nano-dynamo", and no clear description on the website as to whether this is a mockup or an actual device.
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