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| The Halo is a backpacking stove with built-in fuel cell charger for charging mobile devices |
Point Source Power, the company responsible for the Voto,
is looking to extend its product line with the Halo. Where the Voto is a
fuel cell charger that works with an open fire, the Halo is a gas
canister backpacking stove with built-in fuel cell charger and dual USB
ports.
The Voto is aimed at both outdoor enthusiasts and those in the
developing world, two groups that are likely to use fire for cooking,
boiling water, etc. While the Voto covers many outdoor users, it doesn't
cover those in areas with fire restrictions. Backpackers, boaters and
other travelers entering these areas would have no use for a
fire-powered charging system.
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Fuel cell charger |
Stoves, on the other hand, tend to be permissible even where open
fires are not. The Halo looks like a typical backpacking stove but it
includes a fuel cell that produces 1 Amp of electricity by combining
hydrogen in the flame with oxygen in the air. The device comes with a
pot stand for cooking and can cook and charge at the same time, similar
to the biomass-fueled BioLite stove.
The Halo is a compact, 12-oz (340-g) package that includes the
wedge-shaped charging module and circular fuel cell component. The
butane/propane canisters common in camping and backpacking work as fuel.
It offers two USB ports for charging multiple devices at once.
Point Source Power's CEO and co-founder Craig Jacobson told us that
the Halo charges at comparable speeds to other USB chargers and uses
fuel at a rate comparable to other backpacking stoves. The device also
offers a charge-only setting that fires up to about a third of full
cooking power.
Point Source Power is trying to raise funds through Kickstarter to
develop the device and is offering the Halo for pledges starting at
US$79. If the funding goal is reached, the company hopes to have them
shipping by October.
Source: Point Source Power via Kickstarter
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