Mini wind turbine powers iPhone


Where would we be without the blogger/designers? For one thing, we wouldn’t know about the iFan, Tjeerd Veenhoven’s concept design for charging an iPhone without plugging it into a conventional power source.


Veenhoven reports that he had grown frustrated at how quickly his iPhone would lose power, and decided to take matters into his own hands to keep it running without having to plug it into an outlet. 



He fashioned a computer fan atop his iPhone and – by a process not detailed – was able to gather and convert to usable form enough energy to charge the phone in six hours.

Whether that is impressive or not is difficult to assess. 

Was Veenhoven sitting at his desk in a cloistered cubicle while the phone charged?

Or was he riding his bike with the iPhone strapped to his handlebars? 

It could make a difference.

And, in fact, a day after posting his original vision, Veenhoven uncorked the design for, you guessed it, the iFan for Bicycle.


In any case, the optimistic blogger/designer states he “can shave off many charging hours by redesigning the fan blades, making it more efficient in catching the wind while sun bathing at the beach, doing walking trips in the mountains or just holding it outside your car window while driving along.”[[iphone]]

* Pete Danko, EarthTechling