OLPC Human Power Generation Reality Check
Posted on April 09, 2008 by Wayan Vota in Hardware: Power Supply
The Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art is acquiring two XO laptops for their permanent collection because MOMA's Paul Galloway believes the design of the XO Laptop and the ideas it embodies belong in the museum's collection. While I'll not dispute his concept, I do think the display is in error.
If you look closely, you'll see that the display case has two XO laptops and a Potenco pull-cord generator. Personally, I don't think the MOMA should be showing off vaporware.
While XO laptop is in full-scale production, I even have one myself, no one has a Potenco yoyo, no matter the fancy Wired interviews. Individual purchase inquiries are rebuffed with this polite but vague brush off we've heard since last June:
We appreciate your interest in Potenco's human power generators. We'll be posting much more information about the product as we move into full scale production.So I'm wondering when we'll actually see yoyo production. More than one Give One Get One donor was disappointed to find out that XO laptops currently don't ship with alternate energy sources, and children in the developing world should not be expected to have grid or generator electricity in the classroom.
Potenco is not alone in developing alternate human power generation, and it's not alone in lacking a production cycle either. Both the XOctoPlug and Freeplay Clamp Charger are innovative power supply ideas that are still in prototype mode. Emails to Freeplay on their Clamp Charger are returned with:
Thank you for your interest in Freeplay's charger for the OLPC XO. It is not currently available for individual sale, but when we have more information about availability, we will let you know.Yet, unlike Potenco, Freeplay has a long and solid history of commercializing their products. May this mean we'll all have human power generation alternatives by this time next year.
More Power Generation Posts
- Potenco YoYo Power Generator Update
- Lee Felsenstein on OLPC's YoYo Power Generator
- OLPC India's XO Laptop Cow Power Dynamo
- One DC Power Input Connector Per XO-1 Laptop
- OLPC Power Boost: LiFePO4 Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery

















