Categories
Apparel Chargers/Batteries

Power Kicks keep your devices topped up until well past mid-afternoon

Access to electricity is such a vital component to a modern lifestyle that most people have an abundance of it. Still, many carry multiple portable batteries just to make sure their all of their devices are topped up with energy. For the 20% who don’t have ample access to electricity, cycles of poverty and illiteracy are only reinforced. Without enough electricity, a lot of very good things to help people around the world just cannot happen.

Power Kicks don’t claim to be the total solution the world’s electricity problem, but the tiny generator looks to provide enough power to keep devices at 100% at the very least. The Booster modules, the sneaker’s generators, are attached to their soles and turns kinetic energy into electrical energy with no more than a firm press of finger. In this case, though, body weight will be routinely applied, generating up to 5mW per shoe for a total of 10mW. And no, devices won’t need to be connected directly to the Power Kicks as the Booster modules will be easily detachable to serve as spare batteries. With no moving parts present, the Booster modules look like they’ll last a long time. Interested backers can grab a pair for $250. The $42,000 campaign is looking to ship the product out by July 2015.

The area of self-power generation is becoming increasingly crowded as more and more products are introduced, making it for an interesting sector. Products like the SolarHug and the Carbon make a fashion statement while keeping the power flowing, so it’s only a matter of time before more articles of clothing and accessories that go with them eventually get the same treatment. Sneakers are a good choice, but are subject to people’s own style. An attachable unit that happens to be universal might be a better fit.

Categories
Chargers/Batteries Wearables

Ampy charges from your movement, brings us one step closer to The Matrix

The ultimate first world problem is a dead smartphone. Since it usually occurs at the worst possible time, finding an outlet nearby usually isn’t easy. That feeling of having to be tethered is one of the biggest drawbacks of current battery technology, especially because more and more are experiencing very active lifestyles that involve lots of movement.

Ampy is aiming to take all of that movement and put it to good use. The product is a small box that houses a 1000mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery charged from kinetic energy. So, every hop, skip and jump you take not only takes you where you need to be but also generates power for your smartphone or any other USB-powered device. An accessory kit ensures that no matter how you move, Ampy will be able to come along for the ride, and a companion app tell you how much energy you’ve generated doing so. The portable battery market is drowning in options and Ampy makes great strides in separating itself from the pack with its eco-friendly aims, even if the solar-powered Granola Stroller costs $30 less and doesn’t exactly require you to break a sweat. Ampy is currently slated for a June 2015 delivery with an $85 contribution as the campaign has achieved success, currently sitting at $258,000.