You may think you’ve seen it all with the walking desks and under desk exercise bikes that are on the market. At CES 2023, Acer took it up a notch and unveiled the eKinekt BD 3 bike desk, which uses kinetic energy generated from pedaling the bike to charge your laptop, phone and other devices. This new desk gives working from home a whole new meaning, because it relies on your exercise effort to properly function.
Acer is well known for its laptops, desktops, software and other smart devices. The company hasn’t created a product like the eKinekt BD 3 bike desk before, so it’ll be interesting to see if this influences competing brands. Currently, there are plenty of indoor bike trainers that can be attached to a standard bike and used at home. There are even smart bike trainers that use kinetic energy, like the Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer. In some cases, people have converted their treadmills and indoor exercise bikes, like the Peloton, into a work space with a desk attachment, but it still relies on the machine’s electricity. This is the first bike desk of its kind to experiment with powering a whole workstation using kinetic energy.
The eco-friendly stationary bike’s desktop and casing is made up of post-consumer recycled plastic with a couple of unique features. The bike comes with adjustable seat and desk height and resistance to help make your workout and work day more efficient. Additional features include a bag hook, USB ports and a beverage holder. If you have limited space at home, but are looking to invest in an exercise desk hybrid, the eKinekt BD 2 bike may be the solution for you.
Though the eKinekt BD 3 is powered by pedaling, it’s important to know how the bike uses this energy. As you pedal, the kinetic energy created by the movement is converted into an electrical charge. The more you pedal, the more electrical charge is stored by the bike, and it’s then used to power the connected devices. For example, if you pedal for one hour straight at 60 rpm, the bike can convert this into 75 watts of self-generated power. In other words, in order to get work done without your laptop’s battery draining, you have to make sure you’re doing enough pedaling throughout the day.
The kinetic energy is used to power your desk and charges your laptop and smartphone.
AcerThe good news is you don’t have to pedal incessantly to get the most out of this workstation. When setting up your bike, you can pick from two modes: working mode or sports mode. These selections make it easy for you to decide if you want to use the bike for actual work or to focus on getting some movement during your breaks. Working mode adjusts the desk closer to the chair so you can comfortably sit upright as you type and pedal. Sports mode pushes the desk farther away so you have more legroom to focus on cycling, similar to an indoor cycling bike.
Additionally, you can keep track of your stats through the eKinekt app, which pairs with the bike desk. The app is able to monitor your riding duration, speed, distance, estimated calories burned, watts generated and more.
According to Acer, the eKinekt BD 3 bike desk will be available for purchase in the US in June 2023 and will retail for $999.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
