I’m not familiar with the mechanics of electricity generation and such, so I’m curious if there are good reasons why this isn’t possible or useful.
Edit: thanks for the great responses! I gather that the main problems revolve around the fact that it will take more energy to outfit the machinery and feed the people than you’ll get in return.
In: 5
At some point in Britain, during the industrial revolution, prisoners were used as labor to do nearly that. They didn’t generate electricity, but they did spin a shaft which could have a generator attached to it. Thoughty2 did a video on it. They didn’t use bikes, they had these stair-climber things, but it was more like they were climbing on the top of a hamster wheel. People were sometimes used inside of giant hamster wheels, and I’ve seen people wind the spring in a pumpkin launcher using that method.
So yes, it’s feasible, but it’s not what anyone would describe as “fun.”
Latest Answers