What happens when you are in the middle of a forest with a river (with a network signal in the area) but you have a fully drained smartphone battery?
Instead of worrying, you only need to take out this portable and lightweight hydropower generator to charge your device. That is if you have one.
Source: Indiegogo
Called the Estream, it can convert the energy from any moving water, like a river or stream, and use it to charge any USB-connected device. It’s like a mini hydropower generator that easily fits inside the backpack.
All you have to do is disassemble the cover of the device, unfold the turbines and lock them, secure the device to the ground of the body of water, and let the water flow rotate Estream’s turbines. Like large-scale hydropower plants, the rotation enables the generator to produce electricity.
Source: Giphy
It can generate 2.5 to 5W of power even from a weak current. To maximize the use of Estream, one needs patience: it takes about 4 and a half hours for the 6,400mAh built-in lithium-ion battery to be charged in full. But it is rechargeable so as long as one is near running water, the device can store the energy.
When the battery is full, it can charge up to 3 smartphones, GoPros or even tablet PCs, twice as fast as a regular outlet. It can even be used as an underwater lantern as it features low and high light.
It is anyone’s charger when camping, fishing, or kayaking, with the presence of only one thing: running water. But it can be charged at home too from an outlet so this could work as a regular power bank.
The brainchild behind this technology is Enomad Corp, which cofounder is one of 2017’s 30 Under 30 – Asia, Doh Bomi. It sells Estream for $180, on top of the shipping fee, over Indiegogo.
Source: Indiegogo
