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You are in: Home > , , , > Pedal-Powered Appliances Inspire A New Morning Workout

Pedal-Powered Appliances Inspire A New Morning Workout

2 by Karen MacKay on December 6, 2010

These pedal-powered alternatives provide all the comforts of a world-class kitchen without the need for electricity.

Efforts to reduce energy consumption have inspired creative redesigns of products that limit our reliance on electricity. Many of the products we use in the kitchen today once had powerless counterparts, and these new designs incorporate modern aesthetics with the nostalgia of hand powered tools.

German designer Christoph Thetard has created a set of pedal-powered kitchen gadgets entitled R2B2.  The complete set includes a hand blender, coffee grinder and food processor all tucked into a single wooden case outfitted with a pedal-powered drive mechanism. The appliances are powered by a manual pedal attached to a fly wheel and can reach speeds up to 400 rpm.

From an educational standpoint, Thetard designed the system to be fully visible to the user. Rather than locking away the internal components, R2B2 lets the user see the magical mechanics behind the machine.

Thetard completed the design during his graduate studies at Bauhaus-University Weimar. ather than create more energy efficient appliances, this design completely wasted energy completely by removing the need for an outside power source. This electricity-free design will be shown at Ambiente Talents, Frankfurt in February 2011 and Salone Satellite, Milan in April next year.

Source: Dezeen

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About the Author:

Karen MacKay is an industrial designer and glass artist currently focusing her work on urban agriculture solutions and habits for urban wildlife. Karen’s interest in art began as early as her first memories. Throughout high school and college she explored various mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture and glass blowing. In 2002 Karen graduated from the University of North Carolina Asheville with a BA in Philosophy and recently graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Master of Industrial Design. Since an early age, Karen has maintained a passionate relationship with both art and nature. She loves to spend time in the outdoors, usually with her dog Abbey. As a designer, her expertise in sustainable design integrates her passion for all things natural and her insatiable desire to create. Karen has worked as a sustainability consultant to various design and architecture firms and is currently continuing to develop a vertical farming device for in-home use.

Twitter Follow Karen MacKay on Twitter: @kmackay

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