There are plenty of products out there for charging your gadgets off grid, mostly solar-powered ones, so it caught my attention when a new technology launched on Kickstarter that could charge your devices with hydropower. The HydroBee works with any flowing water source like a stream or river, as well as a hose or faucet.
The Kickstarter page states, “The Hydrobee™ is the new alternative in off-grid personal power for a billion people. It is a tiny hydropower turbine in a can with rechargeable batteries, clever electronics, and a USB 2.0 port. Water flowing through or around the turbine charges the batteries. Then you pick it up and have a can full of electric “juice” to go. As long as you have a stream or river flowing at walking speed, or a household water faucet and standard flow, the Hydrobee™ is a renewable USB power source for you.”
© HydroBee
For people who hit the trail often, this could be a good alternative for emergency phone, LED light or GPS charging. For those who aren’t by a stream as much, the device can also be hooked onto a household faucet so that when you’re filling up the sink for washing dishes or the tub for a bath, the HydroBee will generate and store energy.
The basic HydroBee is shaped like a 12 ounce soda can so that it can be easily shipped and distributed around the world. For using it in streams and rivers, there is The Stream Body unit that it fits into allowing the water to flow around the turbine. The battery can be charged in about two to three hours in moving water.
To see more about the HydroBee, check out the video below.
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