5 Gadgets That Use Hamster Power

Anyone who owns hamsters know how much these little critters run but few think of harnessing this hamster power to create something functional. I was wondering whether a robo dwarf hamster might be able to run enough on their hamster wheel to charge my phone, so I went googling for an answer. Well, apparently, it can and it turns out hamsters are able to power more than just phone chargers. Here’s a list of creative hamster powered gadgets that people have come up with.

#1 Hamster Powered Shredder

hamster power - shredder

This amazing shredder runs on hamster power alone. It was created by Tom Ballhatchet for his masters in industrial design. It takes about 45 minutes of running for the hamster to shred a single piece of A4 paper¹ — enough for the rodent to make its own bedding but not quite if you’re looking to shred office paper. I was wondering if such a product might be available for sale but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find it anywhere. Nevertheless, this is still a great idea for using hamster power.

#2 Hamster Powered Walker

While not something with a practical use, this walker made out of plastic, gears, and a hamster ball harnesses hamster power for motion. I think the fluid movement of the walker looks like something out of a sci-fi or robot movie. If you’re interested in finding out more about this hamster-powered walker and other amazing gadgets, check out the creator’s blog at Crabfu.

#3 The HPS Hamstar – Hamster Powered Submarine

Another walker-type gadget except this time, it’s underwater! This submarine is made by two Ocean Engineering students and don’t worry, no hamsters were harmed in the process of making this gadget. This submarine was created with a hamster wheel and some other household objects, costing a total of $57. A full list of materials and details of the making of The HPS Hamstar is available at Hamster Submarine.

#4 Hamster Phone Charger

This is the hamster powered charger that sparked my original googling spree. The charger was created in 2005 by Peter Ash, a then 16-year-old boy, for his Science project. It supposedly provides up to 15 minutes talk time for a Nokia phone for every minute the hamster runs on the wheel. I think it sounds more like a marketing gimmick for Nokia than something that’s actually going to work. Plus I use an iPhone and I bet that would take more hamster power to charge.

#5 Rodent Nightlight

Finally, a video with step-by-step instructions! This nightlight turns rodent power into electricity to light up LED lights. The video recommends mice but I think hamsters may do the job just as well if you give them a chance. After all, robo dwarf hamsters have been known to run 100 miles in just one night. I might try making this myself if I can find time to do it. If the above video wasn’t clear enough, a different video here and another site here use similar materials and methods.

Do you know any other hamster powered gadgets or got ideas for one? Leave a comment below and thank you again for reading!