Read this article, I was just thinking of a similar idea to bring to gyms. As I worked out today I told myself; "push through the pain, more energy.. more energy" I was in the bike cycle and all of the sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks. WAIT A Minute, everyone is working out where is all this energy going? I read in previous articles that one can harness energy from people walking!!!! imagine people running, lifting, zumba classes, spinning classes!!! and the amount of gyms out there oh man it's insane..
Gyms can totally harness their own energy and even sell back some if they had the right equipment or device to harness it with. Anyway here is a good concept other like minded individuals thought as well
Human Powered Workout Gym Concept
News » Energy | Biofuels | Environment | Hydrogen | Solar | Transportation | Wind
September 8th, 2009 - 24 Comments
When we look closely at human history we can easily conclude that locomotion is one of the most primordial needs. But our current lifestyle does not allow us with much of the movements. We need to move more often. But it is also true that we live in fitness conscious times. Going to a gymnasium and working out has become a health statement. But till now many of us have not delved deep into what happens in a gymnasium and how can we utilize events happening in gym for better purposes. If we look carefully every member of a gym in a particular time slot is performing some controlled and repetitive motion be it lifting weight or running on a treadmill or doing crunches. What can we do with all these motions?
Architect Mitchell Joachim, along with Douglas Joachim, a personal trainer, envisioned an idea that might redefine the perception of a gymnasium. When people exercise all the energy created by motion is wasted and it disappears into nothingness. If we can channelize all this kinetic energy into something meaningful we can have a floating River Gym, a kind of soft floating micro-island. It will utilize all the energy made by gym goers and convert it into usable electric energy stored in on-board batteries. This ground-breaking gym will not only endow us with a stimulating view to look upon, but will also provide increased transportation as well as a unique way to purify water while working out.
“Our concept encapsulates a new typology for the contemporary urban gym. It is intended to challenge our innate proprioceptive and multi-planer locomotive abilities while synchronously altering the surroundings. The River Gym will fulfill one of the major contemporary fitness goals of ‘functional training’,” Mitchell and Douglas Joachim elaborate.
When you go to a regular gym all you can enjoy is the sweaty images of you and fellow gym goers or a TV set or some music tracks going in loops. But here in River Gym you can observe the waves playing on the sea bed or some sea creatures taking into account what is happening in the river capsule. Why you have to subject yourself to same good old TV or music? While exercising, you can volunteer to transport some passengers to their destination too. That will combine exercising with some altruism.
This River Gym will offer all the facility a usual gym offers such as lockers, a reception desk and health food kiosks. All this would be housed in multiple points at the edges of each river body. Mitchell and Douglas put forth their views, “By continuing to provide vital health amenities, the River Gym can leave the realm of the glass box and become a useful multi-planar kinetic space.”
It is stated that they are dealing with concepts to harvest wasted human energy but utilizing a knee brace that captures energy from walking and uses it to produce electricity, or a system capable of channeling kinetic energy into electric power is awesome. These necessary devices are being developed by the Idaho based company Motion 2 Energy
