Outdoor enthusiasts who are heavy users of electronics have been waiting a long time for an invention like the Genneo, an auxiliary battery that charges itself simply by being carried around by the user.
“We get lots and lots of unsolicited messages on our website from people in Peru and Sweden and Australia saying, ‘This is cool, where can I buy it?’” said Blake Isaacs, CEO of Genneo.
Isaacs and his two co-founders have created a device about the size of a standard flashlight with a built-in generator that is optimized to capture energy from a person’s natural, everyday, incidental movements.
“And it charges its battery from that movement,” Isaacs said. “It just needs to be linear motion of some kind, up and down, bouncy—
like when you walk.”
The Genneo makes precious power available in the middle of nowhere, an especially appealing feature to outdoorsy types who want to mingle with Mother Nature while keeping their mobile phones, tablets, LED lights and other electronic gadgets charged—and all without having to think about it.
“What we’re trying to do is eliminate what we call cognitive load—the need to plan and remember to charge,” Isaacs said. “It’s always working as long as you have it with you.”
The product has multiple patents pending and is currently being beta-tested in the field.
How much time does the generator need to charge the battery?
“Carry it for five hours, and you get an hour’s worth of talk-time energy for your phone,” Isaacs said, adding that a quick shake of the Genneo will give two minutes of talk time if needed.
Genneo could be on store shelves by the end of the year.
“Plans include distribution that targets outdoor-oriented users of mobile devices,” Isaacs said. “The first stores might be outdoor recreation stores, like REI or Cabela’s.”
Isaacs is a former cell phone product manager educated in electrical engineering and business administration. He’s been working full-time on Genneo since December 2012, and has built the company with his own money, a seed investment round and support from Digital Sandbox KC and the Missouri Technology Corporation.
“I have a lot of energy, and I often forget to charge before going out,” Isaacs said. “I was curious. Could I turn walking around into useful power for my phone? It has been a lot of fun figuring that out and making it work.”
