Spending too much time sitting in front of your computer and not getting enough exercise? Belgium’s WeWatt thinks so, too. But the company’s answer isn’t a boot that kicks you out the door toward the jogging path. According to Gizmag, WeWatt has designed the We-Bike, a bicycle desk that requires its users to pedal to get the juice to power their laptops and cell phones. A panel of LED lights brightens when you’ve generated enough electricity to “coast” through that quarterly report.
A three-station “pod” is a bit spendy -- around $13,000 U.S. -- but the benefits of human-generated power and better health are enticing. Mashable notes a recent Australian study that found that “those who reported sitting for at least 11 hours a day had a 40% higher risk of dying within the next three years than people who sat for less than four hours a day.”
Image: WeWatt
Reed McManus is a senior editor at Sierra. He has worked on the magazine since Ronald Reagan’s second term. For inspiration, he turns to cartoonist R. Crumb’s Mr. Natural, who famously noted: “Twas ever thus.”
