New DIY Kit Makes Little Car Run on Windpower

Tamiya and Loopwing's DIY wind power generator set lets you create your very own clean energy at home for just $30. It takes about a half hour to assemble the parts—2 gears, a capacitor, the steering, etc. on the little car, and the windmill charging station. Once that's done, you just have to stick the thing outside your window and let it charge up. It's also small and portable enough that you could even go for a jog with it, expediting the charge process.

5 minutes of exposure to 5mi/sec winds will give you 3.5 hours of running time. It's a cool little toy, the concept could lead to much more useful/diverse uses of wind power in the near future.

Product page (via Impress Watch, in Japanese)

Comments

[Dragonfang18]

It would be nice to walk a dog with it if it was fast enough to beat a running dog. Just put dog food or a dog bone. I just hope other dogs dont join. LOL