Yeah, you got it! I think that if you moved a rod on the bottom of a hiking pole about an inch with each stride you could probably generate some juice.

You should be able to use the same method as the flashlights you shake by just adding a spring or magnets to keep the rod down when there is no weight on it.

There might be more efficient methods as well. Since you have some decent force to harness when the pole is set down you might be able to create a decent jolt.

When I was a kid I used to play with donut shaped magnets place on a dowel rod. They would be stacked so the polarity made them "Float" above each other and when you pushed down on the top magnet they all would compress down. Seems like there's energy to be captured in that movement too.

It's sure a simple concept, that makes exploring the options fun. Should be inexpensive to prototype too. Shoot, I have one of those flashlights sitting around here somewhere and I love to take stuff apart and modify it for other purposes. I'll have to look around for a piece of aluminum tube.

Even if you only put a LED light in the handle of the pole to use as a lantern it'd be a fun gizmo to have. Maybe an LED and a power port for external devices <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Bill