Kinetic energy upstart taps experienced CEO

Looks like M2E Power is moving forward with its plans to begin commercializing renewable energy devices that draw on the power of kinetics. The company has tapped a new CEO and president, former Virent Energy Systems CEO Eric Apfelbach, to help lead it into the next phase of its existence. Apfelbach's resume includes leadership stints at Virent, where he negotiated relationships with big companies like Shell, Honda and Cargill, and at Planar Systems, Applied Materials and Mostek.

M2E is developing technology that harnesses kinetic movement (walking, running, etc.) and magnets (the Faraday principle) to capture energy that could power mobile phones, digital audio players, personal digital assistants or digital cameras. Here's the latest about some of the commercial products it is planning. Most of the operation's energy to date has been on military applications.