Exercise While Playing by Connecting the Console to a Rowing Machine
Kids obsessed with video games may be missing out on fresh air and exercise (aside from their powerful fingers clicking buttons), a fact that naturally worries parents. However, if you’re being honest, this rowing machine generator can make a great sweaty addition to your living room gaming system.
Jeremy Fielding is known on YouTube for his very specific interests. His videos are about inventions in technology, which include what he does and the larger concepts that he wants to teach people in electronics and engineering. He recently went viral with his video series of creating a generator with two permanent magnet DC motors attached to the flywheel of a rowing machine.
You can see the result in the video above: a group of happy kids take turns rowing while the rest play with the Wii. Everyone has the opportunity to play with the console and practice. The generator is attached to two small batteries that store a limited amount of energy. This is mostly enough to give the kids time to switch places. But if they let it go on for too long, the game gets disabled. (Good reminder to save regularly!)
Fielding explains exactly how to make a machine in a series of videos and how to make a similar setup with a treadmill. So, whatever home workout equipment you allow to be collected in the corner, clean it off and turn it into an energy source for whatever you like. This will be a great motivator for both you and the kids.