The Body Charger

Move your body! Shake your Rump! Walk in the park. Have a quick run. Why?? Its healthy, it helps you feel better, it keeps you fit. There are endless reasons to get moving, now charging your SmartPhone/iPhone/iPod/Digital Media Device is one of them.

 The Portable Power Proble

My name is Donald Kruger a techno junkie and backyard inventor, with an acute passion for mobile technology. I am a man on the move, using my own two feet as my main mode of transport, and everywhere I go, I take my Smart Phone.

A special bond has developed  between humans and their portable devices, there is no need to elaborate the countless uses of modern Smart Phones. However these amazing devices do have their shortfalls, the biggest one being battery life, and when their battery runs flat, they turn into nothing more than really expensive paperweights.

Having dealt with some of the cumbersome portable battery packs and chunky, expensive solar charger solutions that are on the market. Neither of them fulfilled my needs of truly portable power that can fit in my jean pocket.

The Body Charger Solution.    The average person takes 3000 steps a day. The average Smart Phone user has a flat battery before the end of the day if they don’t  charge it throughout the day. Now, your charging woes will be a thing of the past. Just put your dead phone in your Body Charger Jean Pocket (Isn’t that where you normally keep it?) and 600 steps later, the battery is full!

Thanks to Flexible Piezoelectric Fabric which converts Kinetic energy (movement, vibrations) into Electrical energy. Keep up the walking, and you will never have to worry about your portable devices dying on you when you need them the most.

How it works

The Body Charger is a pair of pants that will charge your Portable Device when the wearer moves. This is accomplished by using Flexible Piezoelectric Fabric around high movement areas around the knees and hip to harvest kinetic energy produced by your body movement (walking, dancing, Running) and converting it into useable Electrical energy. This electricity is then collected by a plug in regulator that will regulate the voltage to 5V and output it at 1.5 amps to a USB port or wireless charger (see stretch goals) in your pocket, this will charge your phone or device.

Features

·  Rugged Body Charger Denim Jean.

·  Generate power using your lower body movement. (Walking, Dancing, Running)

·  Does not rely on solar energy like many other portable power solutions. ·  Premium materials for extended usage life.

·  USB power socket one side pocket. (5V @ 1.5 A) ·  Optional flexible wireless charger in one side pocket for charging wireless charging compatible devices. (see stretch goals)

·  Available in a wide variety of sizes and can be custom made to fit measurements given.  

Fund usage and Project Plan

 The funding received will all go towards the final stages of development, final design, mass production and deployment of the Body Charger Jean series. The draft design and fundamental development of the Body Charger Jeans is already under way. The final stages of development, final design and deployment will only be possible once the funding goal is achieved due to the large initial cost of equipment. After the campaign has ended successfully, the equipment needed for manufacture will be ordered and delivered 30 days later. The final stages of development and final system design will be done during this time. Five months after successful funding, Body Charger Jeans will be available in many different styles and colours and can be ordered worldwide.  

Risks and Chalanges

At the moment the voltage regulator and USB port assembly is a bit chunky and does cause a bit of heat (32?C), we are working on getting regulators that are slimmer and more ergonomic. Possible solutions are for the regulators to occupy the ‘small pocket’ on the right hand side. A small issue in efficiency exists, if the jeans are too loose around the wearer, there is a significant drop in power output. Water proofing and wash resistance is another issue that has plagued us but the final product will be completely water and wash proof AS LONG AS THE USB SOCKETS PROTECTIVE COVER IS IN PLACE.   Stretch goals   If $90,000 is raised, a wireless charging option will be developed and made available. If $150,000 is raised, development of a Body Charger Jacket will begin. If $180,000 is raised, the Body Charger Jacket will be designed to be a wearable BlueTooth Boombox (similar to The Life Jacket) Please feel free to share any ideas and opinions you may have, any new feature ideas are welcome. if you cant contribute, then please share.