Street Lamp and Fitness Equipment Blend Into Smart Lighting Concept

Street Lamp and Fitness Equipment Blend Into Smart Lighting Concept

Have you ever wondered how the energy expended by joggers or people using the fitness equipment in public parks could be harnessed for the greater good? Neither have I. But apparently someone is thinking about this and has come up with an interesting concept gadget.

The CityLight Street Lamp, a winner in the Green Dot Award, is a street light that is powered by humans, or at least in part. Essentially, you can go up to this street light-slash-fitness center and start working out, which then helps power the light.

CITYLIGHT is a hybrid urban illumination system driven by two distinct sources: human-power and electricity. The lamp uses energy saving LED as light source to replace traditional bulbs. Located in public areas, the lamps are connected to outdoor fitness facilities which carry and transfer human power generated to the light system. The interactive linear lighting pattern in the central of the pole indicates if the LED lamp is being charged by human-power and presents current battery status, which encourages people to participate the green exercise. A monitor located on the pole displays the calories burned and the duration of lighting contributed by individual's exercise. This concept could save a significant amount of public energy spending with utilizing human kinetic energy. In addition, by motivating and emphasizing a healthier life style for individuals, CITYLIGHT also enhances community’s awareness of green energy.

I have to admit that while it's highly unlikely this thing will ever see the light of day -- or any light for that matter -- it's still an interesting idea. We already know that relying on human effort to power anything, even gyms, is asking a lot. So it's hard to think that the odd passer-by will contribute enough energy to make this design worth while. Still, we can't help but think it'd be cool to capture all that energy exerted by those with fitness on their minds.

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Tags: Concepts & Prototypes | Gadgets | Technology

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