Boost Turbine is a back-up power source for personal electronics such as a mobile phone. For everyday or emergency use, this battery pack with integrated hand turbine power generator will keep you always charged up, without relying on the grid. Unfold the flush crank handle and turn it to generate power (or plug Boost in to recharge it), then plug in your energy-depleted device to transfer Boost Turbine's energy into it. Boost Turbine is an effective, fast, and efficient green power source.

Mobile phones are the single most popular personal electronic product in history, with over 7.5 billion phones in use today. China and India together account for half of this number. Most of the under-developed world use mobile phones as their primary communication device, but their power grids are often non-existing or not reliable. Every single one of these billions of phones needs recharging every day, and billions of people lose mobile phone power prematurely every day.

Our challenge was to design a low cost hand crank power generator for recharging a mobile phone on the spot, no matter where you are. This would be particularly useful when users are off the grid with no AC available (like much of the world), and in cases when you need a quick charge to make an important call or text. We wanted to combine a battery with a crank dynamo so users could either make their own power while on the go, or plug it in to recharge. With 7.5 billion phones in the world (about the same as the world population) needing a daily charge, this was clearly a product needed by the majority.

Quite a bit of research went into this project, specifically: - End user research and task analysis (who would use this device and how?) - Application and field research (where it would be used and when, what battery size would be smallest… yet accommodate the largest array of users, and how to maximize the dynamo crank for optimum human factors. - Market Research (competitive and opportunity) We also set out to grow Eton as a company by providing a superior product that would increase demand, and capitalize on the Eton dynamo crank technology that has made them successful.

Boost Turbine combines a battery with a hand crank dynamo, making it ideal for the majority of the world where the power grid is unreliable. Performance: Boost Turbine is an effective, fast, and efficient green power source. One minute of cranking will produce enough power to make a call or send several texts, or if Boost Turbine’s battery is full you can immediately dump all its energy to a device. Durability: Boost Turbine is incredibly tough, made of die-cast aluminum and polycarbonate. Quality of details and quality of fit and finish are extraordinary. This unit feels like a little “machine”. Appearance: Boost Turbine is a universally appealing design because it’s simple and easy to understand. The crank handle stores flush and neat into the main body. When stored, the rubber crank knob end appears as a single black dot on the front surface, making it obvious where to pull it out. The angled surface on the end of the front housing is on the same plane as the knob end, which is determined by the crank arm angle when folded out for use (see side view). Ease of Use: Boost Turbine is a breeze to use - fold out the crank handle and turn then plug in a device to dump power to it. It is a compact form factor similar to a phone, secure in the hand when cranking, and fits in a pocket. Press the button and a few LED's show how much battery charge is remaining.