Find out more about what the Power Cart is, how it works and the thinking behind new DIY energy projects.
Mouna Andraos (http://missmoun.com/) is a Canadian New Media Artist who just finished a year-long residency at Eyebeam, a well-known center for arts and technology in New York City. Andraos spent much of her time at Eyebeam researching alternative ways to power the electronic objects she had been crafting. One of the resulting projects from her research is the Power Cart, a mobile unit that delivers alternative energy to people in the streets. I spoke with Andraos to find out how the mobile cart works and why she built it.
How does the Power Cart generate power?
The Power Cart uses a solar panel and a hand crank that turns a generator to recharge a large 12V marine battery located at the bottom of the cart. The battery is then used to power any device that is connected to it.
With what type of electronics is the Power Cart compatible?
The cart currently has 18 small connectors for a variety of small electronic devices and 3 AC outlets. It can charge or power about 5 things at a time. In most cases, I’ve used it to recharge people’s cell phones and I would say I’ve had the right plug for their phones about 85 percent of the time.
What was the thought process behind the creation of the Power Cart? What factors brought you to the conclusion that you wanted to make it?
Part of my recent research focused on reclaiming the design process behind everyday consumer electronics as both a user and as a designer. I’ve been wanting to understand all the parts of the devices I was meant to design, and no longer simply be drawing the boxes that would go over the actual objects. And of course, beyond understanding, I’ve also been wanting to rethink how each one of these parts was made and how it works. So I attacked one section at a time: electronics and circuitry, materials and power. I’m still fiddling with the electronics and circuitry. Interesting materials have been much harder to get my hands on than expected. And power is one area where there is a lot going on right now and I could get started faster. In researching alternative ways to power my electronic objects, I looked at what was out there on the market and dismantled a few of the hand-cranked, hand-shaked, solar-powered, and pull-stringed, radios and lights available out there. The first thing I made, almost like an exercise, was a DIY version of the shake light.
From the shake light, I upgraded to using small motors as alternators and designed, in collaboration with architects Jenny Broutin and Carmen Trudell, the small personal power plant.
The personal power plant is a portable DIY charger that uses a combination of kinetic and solar energy to recharge small electronic devices. In many ways, the Power Cart is a large scale version of the personal power plant.
I also like to tell the story of how at the time, I was working on my small objects under the neon lights of the OpenLab at Eyebeam while my desk neighbors, the Graffiti Research Lab, were constantly out and about in the streets of the city throwing events or simply going for rides with their projects. So, I got jealous and thought I needed to start making projects that would take me out in the streets as well.
Ha. Yes, I could certainly see this would make you want to do an outside project! Regarding the Shake-Light and Personal Power Plant you mentioned, these DIY projects make it clear that you’re interested in learning and sharing information about renewable sources of energy. What are your thoughts on the current state of the environment, especially in relation to technology? Do you consider yourself an environmentalist?
I looked up the definition of environmentalist in Google.
A person who places high values on the environment
Someone who works to protect the environment from destruction or pollution
Environmentalism is a concern for the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment, such as the conservation of natural resources, prevention of pollution, and certain land use actions.
It’s hard to say. Feels a bit like the new “Are you a feminist” question. In a way, I feel like it is hard not to be one these days. I’m not particularly obsessed about this, and it is actually not the only focus of my work, but rather one amongst many things I feel I cannot work outside of. Whatever you do these days says something about the state of the environment, even if you totally ignore it. But, yes, I’m really interested by the challenge technology - and people - face with regards to the environment, almost like a design problem that obviously needs to be solved.
Where have you shown the Power Cart?
The cart was first shown at the Conflux festival in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where it spent the weekend outside. I then took it around the city a few times, hanging out around Union Square or Chelsea for a few hours. It will also be sitting in the gallery space at Eyebeam for the month of March for the Feedback show: that’s not its ideal environment, but the show will be more about the story of the cart than the experience of it.
What were people’s reactions to the Power Cart when you showed it?
In a festival context it is a bit different. People are expecting strange “projects”, so they are less disconcerted. In the streets on a random afternoon, the reactions are more random. Anyone who takes the time to stop and ask is usually at least amused, sometimes really interested or curious, and some people will actually give me their phones for a charge. I’ve also been surprised by passerbys who will just leave me their phone (me = complete stranger) and go do their shopping while it charges. Some will even phone me after a few hours to figure out where I am and come pick it up. But it also often starts up conversations around issues of alternative energy or technicalities on how to do this and that in itself.
Did you hurt/destroy any electronics while testing the Power Cart?
Most probably. But in this case, ignorance is bliss, I don’t talk their language well enough to understand their screams.
You’ve talked about how the cart “looks and feels like another service for the city of today,” drawing a relationship to Knife sharpening in India, refills on gas in Africa…chair massages in New York.” However, in these cases, money is rendered for the services, whereas during events where you’ve shown the cart, you’ve provided the power for free. How would you envision the economics of the cart in non-festival scenario? Would it be something that users pay for? Something that the government would subsidize? Maybe something that tech companies offer?
There are actually products out there that do similar things to the cart. First of all, a few companies are putting out small-scale emergency generators that only use alternative power. But, more importantly, you can also find cell phone charging stations. They cost well over $5,000 and offer options to lock each phone while it charges and require no one to attend them. Airports and large-scale companies are starting to install them. I was even told there is a woman that sometimes stands on the corner of 14th street and 4th avenue and charges people’s phones for a fee. But she plugs into the Virgin Megastore - or so I was told, but I never managed to see her. So the economics is already defining itself. And people seem to go for it.
Are you still developing the Power Cart project? If so, what are you doing with it?
I’m still cooking up the instruction set which will be on electroniccrafts.org soon. And I’m also getting ready to show it at the Eyebeam show I mentioned above. I need to wait until the warmer days come back to take it out on the streets again. I’ll also continue to work on some technical upgrades.
You can check out the Power Cart and other DIY energy projects at Eyebeam’s “Feedback” show opening Thursday, March 13, 6-8PM and running through April 19.
Language: English