nPower PEG

from http://www.trailspace.com/blog/2010/08/09/outdoor-retailer-portable-power.html

nPower PEG - Tremont Electric

PEG means portable energy generator. It's the brainchild of Aaron LeMieux, an entrepreneur/engineer who created Tremont Electric to capitalize on something he learned while hiking 1,500 miles on the Appalachian Trail: Walking with a heavy pack generates lots of untapped energy. The result is coming on the market in a few weeks: the nPower PEG, which captures kinetic energy from walking and stores it in a battery that can power small electronics like cellphones and iPods.

The tubular PEG has springs on each end and a magnet in the middle -- the motion of walking pushes the magnet back and forth against the springs, keeping the magnet moving and generating electrical current. A microprocessor keeps the current steady enough to charge a lithium polymer battery that recharges an electronic device.

So, how much power does it generate? Depending on the device, five minutes of walking can empower one minute of talking, LeMieux says. (According to Tremont Electric's press materials, the more power-hungry iPhone 3G needs 10 minutes of walking for one minute of talking.)

Here's LeMieux demonstrating the PEG: