Now that CES 2023 has wrapped up, we’re beginning to get a drip feed of all the new gadgets and tech that were showcased at the annual event. Acer is always a big presence at the show, but the brand typically just unveils some new laptops each year – no biggie. And yet, Acer has outdone itself this year, showcasing the eKinekt BD 3 bike desk, which trumps your standing desk by making you perform some light cardio for your power.
That is, the Acer eKinekt BD 3 bike desk uses kinetic energy generated from pedaling a bike to charge your laptop, phone and other devices. Essentially, it is another way to incentivise staying fit and healthy at your desk job, whether that’s in the office or in a work-from-home situation.
Similar products have been made before, but they always seem to rely on the machine’s electricity to help power your devices. The eKinekt BD 3 bike takes things much further, pretty much forcing you to put in work – while you put in work – to make the whole thing function.
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Acer has then nabbed the distinction of being the first brand in the world to produce an eco-friendly bike desk that powers an entire workstation with kinetic energy. Although, like with most things at CES, this seems like a new category that other brands will be hopping on in the coming years.
The stationary bike’s desktop and casing have been built with post-consumer recycled plastic with an adjustable seat and desk height, as well as a bag hook, USB ports and a beverage holder. The bike’s resistance doesn’t seem to be too intense to distract you from your actual work, rather offering light exercise to help make your workout and work day a bit more efficient.
Acer has taken a very simple approach to the design, which uses kinetic energy as you pedal and converts this into an electrical charge that is stored by the bike and used for connected devices. According to Acer, pedaling for one hour straight at 60 RPM equals around 75 watts of self-generated power.
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There are two options you can take when setting up the desk. Working mode adjusts the desk closer to the chair so you can comfortably sit upright as you type and pedal lightly. On the other hand, sports mode positioned the desk a bit further away to give you more legroom in case you want to focus more on cycling.
There doesn’t seem to be any indication, yet, on how easy it is to switch between these two modes but I imagine Acer would need to make it fairly seamless so you can go from work to exercise break to work without any interruption.
And what would a modern product like this be without an app? Acer has introduced the eKinekt app so you can pair it with the bike desk, giving you numerous data like riding duration, speed, distance, estimated calories burned and watts generated.
Acer says the eKinekt BD 3 bike desk will start shipping across the US in June 2023 for US$1,000 (~AU$1,453), according to Digital Trends. No word yet on global availability but this article will be updated as soon as Boss Hunting gets word on a local release.
