In the video below, world famous track cyclist Robert Förstemann battles a 700w toaster. Can he, with his 74cm legs, generate enough energy to create a golden-brown toast? The challenge was set up to show how much energy we humans consume compared to what we can generate. This is a graduation project from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts filmed in Stockholm, Sweden.
The finishing examples estimate how many Roberts that would be needed to power either a petrol car consuming 6,5l/100km for one hour, or a one-hour Boeing 737-800 flight.
This morning, before I left home, I needed 30 Roberts peddling furiously for 3 minutes. My 30 Roberts helped me enjoy a hot shower, make a cup of coffee, turn on my lights, charge my mobile phone, tablet and laptop, before using the lift in my apartment.
Many refugees struggle to access the most basic levels of energy for their everyday needs. Besides cooking, their most important energy needs are for light and charging mobile phones.
In this video, the 700 Watts of power Robert produced led to 21 Watt hours of energy and a lot of lactic acid building up in an Olympic cyclist. This was barely enough energy to cook a single piece of white bread – and we all know we should be eating brown bread, which takes longer to cook.
That same 21 Watt hours is enough energy to power a 2 Watt Led bulb for 5 hours and a smart phone on a daily basis – more than most refugees currently hope to receive.
I need too many Roberts in my life.
How many Roberts did you need today?
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