iYo: The Yo-Yo That Powers Your iPhone

Though this concept may not tickle everybody's fancy, the iYo is a pretty clever gadget that actually will charge your iPhone or any other Apple hand-held device for that matter. Basically the iYo converts the mechanical energy of the yo-yo into electrical energy and delivers it to your device.

The concept occurred to Swedish designer Peter Thuvander when he realized solar power wasn't the best green option for charging his iPhone in a country that averages less than eight hours of sunlight a day in eight months of the year (one hour in November, December and January). The generator is similar to that of Gizoo's wind up universal remote. According to Peter, "The remote control needs only 30 cranks--which is nothing when you yo-yo." The device uses induction, the principle underlying all electrical generators. Basically the conductive iron in the diagram below spins past a stationary magnet creating an electrical charge that is stored in the built in lithium ion battery. The charge is then passed to your device via a USB port in the side of the yo-yo.

There are not very many details about the iYo available yet, i.e. how long you would have to yo-yo to generate a full charge for your iPhone, etc. There is also no word on how much the device will cost, when it will be available or even if it will be mass produced. Nevertheless it is an interesting concept and I'm sure we'll see similar generators turning up in all kinds of devices that may or may not be more practical than a yo-yo.

[via Core77]

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