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Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

2007

  • Work on this object began.

2011

  • Work on this object ended.

2016

2025

  • You found it!

Bicycle Phone Charger

This is a Project. It was designed by Global Cycle Solutions and collaborator: Suprio Das and MIT. It is dated 2007–2011. Its medium is 470 microfarad capacitor, 7806 transistor (voltage regulator), cell phone cord, 12v dc motor, metal u-bracket, rubber roller, brake pipe, brake clamp, spoke, spring wire, 8mm nylon rod.

In Tanzania, the majority of people live without electricity, yet a third of the country uses mobile phones. Bernard Kiwia, a trained electrician and vocational-school instructor, collaborated with Global Cycle Solutions (GCS) to design a phone charger from scrap bike and radio parts. Made from spokes, brake tubes, clamps, motors, and capacitors, the device generates power when its roller comes in contact with the bike’s spinning wheel. Kiwia has also designed a phone charger that regulates the voltage coming from a motorbike’s battery to recharge the mobile phone. The bicycle charger costs approximately US$10 and the motorcycle charger approximately US$5.

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/420778901/ |title=Bicycle Phone Charger |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=11 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>