Gizmodo: pedal

Japanese Accel Pedal "Vroom Vrooms" So You Don't Have To

Sean Fallon — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST

Stressed out at work? Slide one of these Accel Pedals under your desk and slam the pedal to the floor. The acceleration noises soothe frayed nerves—plus it makes you feel like a big man.

Why would anyone spend $30 on this? I mean, it's not even USB. Ask Japan—athough I doubt that anyone in the country could give you a real answer. Still, it's less crazy looking than making engine noises with your mouth (barely) and it beats the hell out of speeding tickets. [Nodaya via Crunchgear via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Aeolus Airship Concept Can Stay Aloft for Two Weeks

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:45:00 EST

This oddball vertical airship is designed to stay in the air for a whopping two weeks without landing. It's powered by a crew of 2-4 people pedaling, presumably in an ironic nod to The Flintstones.

The helium airship, named for the Greek god of the wind, is only in the concept stage for now. But it looks like something out of Dinotopia, and the goofy vertical design is surprisingly cool.

[Treehugger]

Yogen Max Charges Laptops with Feet

Mark Wilson — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:20:00 EST

The Yogen Max is a foot pedal laptop charger prototype that will fold up for easy travel, allowing you to run your laptop like an antique sewing machine.

Of course, we all know that the human body coupled with the right balance of mechanical generators can produce electricity. But if you're one of those people who compulsively taps their foot anyway, the Yogen Max can help you run your laptop from anywhere—not just when you're stuck traveling abroad without adapters, but when half your body is pinned under a tree in the wilderness, and all you have is one leg free and an open laptop to call for help.

There's no release date or price at this time, but we'll keep an eye out for ya (pending we're not trapped under a tree somewhere in the wilderness without access to laptop power) and (pending it can produce enough power to run an actual laptop). [Easy Energy via Coolest Gadgets]

Jaambaaro Vehicle Puts the Rickshaw in Ambulance

Kit Eaton — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:15:00 EDT

All joking aside, there are plenty of places in the world where getting speedy medical attention is difficult. And that's where the Jaambaaro concept from designer Benoît Angibaud comes in. It's a two-person pedal-powered ambulance, designed to get the sick and wounded to hospital in areas where motor vehicles are rare. It would have solar panels to help generate some energy, and be made of locally-salvaged materials. Great idea, though I have to admit the first thing that came to mind when seeing the stretcher's blister canopy was a short dude in glasses, shouting "Choppers!"... [Yanko Design]

PS2 Guitar Pedal Lets You Star Power, Whammy With Your Feet

Jason Chen — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:45:53 EST

Making your fake guitar automatically whammy may be a step too far, but if you want to make Guitar Hero slightly easier for yourself, check out these guitar pedals. They allow you to either activate star power or hit the whammy bar with your feet instead of your hands, making sure your hands stay exactly where they're supposed to be to not miss a note.

They're wireless, which is nice, but PS2 only, which isn't nice, and run off 4 AA batteries, which really isn't nice. The price of kinda-sorta cheating? $25. [Best Buy via Joystiq]

Foot-Based USB Sheet Music Turner Pedal

Jason Chen — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:50:06 EDT

Anyone who's played an instrument and knows how to read sheet music can tell you that turning pages in the score while trying to keep playing is a pain in the ass. But with this Page/Score turner from Bili, you can use your feet to electronically turn the "pages" on your computer while your hands are where they're supposed to be—on your instrument. It's not that cheap, costing $59 for the page turner and $99 for the turner + a laptop stand, but if you read sheet music off your computer, it's either this or learning how to use a trackball with your feet. [Bilila]

Pedal Exerciser Creates Strong Legs and Atrophied Arms

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 May 2007 21:00:04 EDT

Unlike the Geek-a-Cycle, this Pedal Exerciser doesn't require you to retrofit your current desk—which is quite stylish if we do say so ourselves—into a horrible mid-'80s wooden contraption.

By putting it under your desk, the stationary pedal machine allows you to work out your legs while you're working (or playing Warcraft), which gives you many times the exercise you'd normally get while just sitting there. However, it does have a weight limit of 250lbs, so you turbo fatties need to slim down a bit before grabbing one of these. – Jason Chen

Product Page [SitinComfort via Lifehacker]