Kids pull strings to power $100 laptops

The $100 laptop designed as part of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) scheme to bring IT to the poor in under-developed countries is to get a new power source - string.

The original design from the MIT Lab in Boston envisaged a hand-crank to charge the machine up in countries where electricity is scarce. But the developers say a new string-based mechanism is much more efficient.

The string-pull mechanism, developed by Squid Labs, will be separate from the laptop and is connected to a small generator. This is a lot less cumbersome than the bulky hand crank and should be a lot easier for children to use.

Owners will be able to use the handheld generator in different ways, from holding it in one hand and pulling the string, to attaching it to a desk and using their legs to pump the string. The goal of the generator is to be able to produce 10 minutes worth of power for each minute of generating.

The new generator is also a lot quieter, which will be useful in schools. Geo Homsy, a partner and designer at Squid Labs said: “If you imagine an entire school room full of kids using this thing, it needs to be as quiet as possible. Otherwise it will drive everyone insane.”

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