Saturday, October 27, 2007

Cow-powered laptops !

One Laptop Per Child Project is finalizing the design of a cow-powered generator that can be used as a low-cost energy source in Indian villages. The One Laptop Per Child Project (OLPC) is toying with a novel source of power for its low-cost cows.

There is a plan to drive a dynamo (taken from an old Fiat that is commonly used as taxis in Mumbai ) through a system of belts and pulleys using cows/cattle.

The goal is to develop a low-cost energy source that can be used in Indian villages. Working in a village close to Mumbai, OLPC's Sarwal said the group considered using solar energy but sunlight near Mumbai was not "consistently strong." There was not enough wind or running water nearby to use these as sources of power, and the cost of running a gas-powered motor was too high.But the village had an abundance of cattle that were being used in the fields. So we decided to design something around that.

No comments: