Human Powered Energy
Get Your Butt To The Gym and Generate Some Electricity
A new gym in Hong Kong might be on to something- as patrons at a gym work out, their energy is "transformed into electricity and stored in a battery that powers some of the gym's lights." As one patron at the gym put it "It's very good motivation,' Ms. Wong said, pointing at the fluorescent bulb above her head. 'You can watch yourself burning fat to turn on that light."' Although the power generated at the gym only totaled to 300 watts when the "13 machines, it was enough energy to "run three 27-inch television sets, five 60-watt light bulbs or several hundred video iPods. If all the exercise machines were in use 10 hours a day for a year, the gym could generate roughly $183 worth of electricity. It doesn't seem like much but if all the gyms in this country did this..."well,you do the math."
Trend Themes
1. Green Gyms - The trend towards 'green gyms' utilizing human-powered energy could be capitalized on by innovative gym equipment manufacturers.
2. Energy-monitoring Apps - The increasing use of energy-monitoring apps could be utilized to incentivize gym-goers to work harder and generate more energy.
3. Community Energy Sharing - The development of community energy sharing models could allow gyms to sell excess energy generated to nearby businesses or residents.
Industry Implications
1. Fitness Equipment Manufacturing - Companies that produce gym equipment have the potential to innovate by producing machines that harness human-power and act as generators, therefore providing 'green energy' that gyms could use or sell to other businesses.
2. Mobile Health Technology - Mobile health technology companies could develop tracking apps that monitor energy output for gym-goers to make energy output tangible and may provide incentive for people to work out harder and burn more calories for energy
3. Energy Trading - Companies with experience in energy trading could develop models and technologies to allow sharing the excess energy generated by gyms in their community, making for a more sustainable business model and positive impact on the environment and economy.