Eerily reminiscent of that episode of Black Mirror (15 Million Merits, Google it!), an Olympic cyclist has managed to cycle fast enough to power a toaster long enough to toast bread.
• Looking for an easier way to make toast? Try these…
Track cyclist Robert Förstemann, took up the eco-friendly Toaster Challenge to discover if he could turn a slice of bread into tasty toast using nothing but his incredible, 74cm circumference, gristle-like thighs.
Peddling like fury, Förstemann, who won a bronze medal at London 2012 in the team sprint, powered an exercise bike, connected to a toaster. The bike had been modified to generate electricity, which was then supplied to said toaster.
The YouTube "Toaster Challenge", isa graduate project by a Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts student. The challenge was to demonstrate how much energy people consume without realising it.
The idea behind the challenge was that Förstemann would pedal at 31mph constantly to power the 700W toaster to brown the bread. His heart rate during the challenge soared to 170 beats per minute and in the end, he'd generated a big 0.021kWh of power.
The video helpfully explains that to "power a car for an hour" would require 180 Förstemanns. An incredible 43,000 Olympic cyclists working flat out would be needed to keep a Boeing 737 in the air for an hour. Just imagine the noise and smell.
After the event, Förstemann said the challenge made his legs “hurt hard”, adding that it was “f**king hard”. A Nobel Prize surely awaits.
