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Innovation

Revolving door concept harvests energy as it spins, sparks urban 'revolution'

A design firm called Fluxxlab has devised a sustainable revolving door that harvests energy as it spins.
Written by Andrew Nusca, Contributor

A design firm called Fluxxlab has devised a sustainable revolving door that harvests energy as it spins.

Called "The Revolution Door," the revolving door is made of three parts: a redesigned central core that can replace the one on a standard-issue revolving door, a system that harnesses the mechanical energy of humans pushing the door and redistributes it as electricity, and an output device that maps the electricity.

According to Fluxxlab's website, the firm is focused on converting negligible amounts of human energy into electricity, and this door seems to do that in spades.

By mechanically harvesting a negligible amount of human energy and converting it to a tangible display through the use of a generator, the Revolution Door will directly communicate a single person's contribution to an energy cycle possible through the metabolic relationship between people, technology, and architecture.

Want to see it in action? The hosts of the Science Channel's Invention Nation took their camera to the lab of the door's inventors, Carmen Trudell and Jennifer Broutin, to see what makes the thing tick.

Turns out that if you pair a DC motor to a bike hub decorated with neodymium magnets and copper wire, you might just be on your way toward a door that generates electricity and keeps the cold out.

Sounds like a smart idea for the pair of revolving doors at SmartPlanet HQ.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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