On Tue, 13 Nov 2018 11:53:20 -0800 (PST), Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 9:43:51 AM UTC-5, Radey Shouman wrote:

Truly there is more than one way to do it.

Reading a little further, one sees an actual water-powered sewing
machine motor, complete with drip tray for leaks:

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/medi...itzerland.html

To get closer, if not quite on, topic, lots of material on the
applications of stationary bicycles:

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011...factories.html

Many, many years ago, James McCullough (sp?), then editor of Bicycling magazine,
edited a book on human powered contraptions. It touted things like pedal
powered lathes and plowing fields by using a pedal powered crank system to reel
in a cable that pulled the plow across the field. It didn't seem to transform
society.

Related: I recently read _The Most Powerful Idea in the World_
https://www.amazon.com/Most-Powerful...a+in+the+world

The author noted that when slavery was legal (as it was in most human societies
at one time or another) slave labor was preferred over animal labor for power
production. His explanation was that humans are more efficient than draft
animals, in terms of work out vs. food energy consumed.

- Frank Krygowski


I've read that the English prison systems had "treadmills" that the
prisoners were forced to power. See
https://www.uh.edu/engines/epi374.htm

cheers,

John B.