Bicycle Cell Phone Charger – Creative Inventions of 2008

Wirefly Learn » Wireless News

January 5th, 2009

What is your background as an inventor/designer?

Since I was a kid, I always enjoyed making stuff with my hands. After my A level, I did an art foundation in Paris (Atelier de Sèvres) and then went to London to start a BA in product design at Central Saint Martins. I’m in my final year now. The foundation really gave me the taste for making things, and studying product design was, I think, the right choice.

Tell us about the “Watts Maker” cell phone charger

The Watts Maker allows you to charge your cell phone while you’re cycling. You don’t spend a penny on it, only sweat. The Watts Maker is not a final product, there is no real design on it. I would call it more a DIY piece. An idea that has to be turned into a real product. It is something I did in my spare time without sketching or anything. I just used what I had at home.

How does it work?

I opened a bicycle dynamo and plugged my phone charger on it. The result is quite simple, as you cycle, instead of lighting the bike torch, it charges your phone. Luckily, the dynamo produces enough power for the phone to charge.

What inspired you to create the “Watts Maker” cell phone charger?

I think it happened one morning when I arrived at uni and realized I forgot to charge my phone, I couldn’t use it for the whole day. And the same day, when cycling home, I had to turn my dynamo on because it was dark. I just realized that if my legs could produce enough power to light a torch, could there be enough power to charge my phone?

What will the future hold for this idea?

Well, what I like about it and the reason it is on my website is that it shows that some eco problems can be solved quite easily. It would be fantastic to find a producer interested in it, and work along together to make it “real”.

For more information about Oscar Lhermitte or the “Watts Maker” bicycle cell phone charger – read this.