Ampy wants to allow you to self-power your devices

We’re suckers for portable battery packs at the Stuff offices, which makes sense because of how much mobile tech we tote around on a daily basis. But the problem with little batteries is that you need to remember to keep them charged.

There is a new Kickstarter on the go which intends to take the hassle out of remembering to keep your backup power charged, provided you don’t mind expending a bit of muscular energy in aid of surfing Facebook from anywhere you choose. Called the Ampy, the device is worn by users whose movement, whether it’s day-to-day or more strenuous activity, charges up the internal lithium-ion battery.

Once the battery is charged, Ampy says, it will hold a charge for months. It’ll also store about a week’s worth of movement energy, making for a simple way to keep your devices powered.

The company claims that 10,000 steps, about an hour of cycling or a 30 minute run will generate enough power to allow Ampy to give your smartphone an additional three hours of up-time. It’s a very eco-friendly way to keep your tech on, plus it might be a good motivator to keep to that workout schedule if you’re having trouble doing so.

The Ampy was looking for $100,000 in funding, a total that they’ve already passed. At the time of writing the kinetic battery pack has made just under $134,000 and there are still another 26 days for the Kickstarter campaign to run. Pledging at least $85 (around R950) will net you your very own Ampy, while delivery is expected to take place halfway through 2015.

Source: Digital Trends