Acer’s eKinekt Bike Desk lets you power your laptop by pedaling

Sitting for prolonged periods may or may not eventually kill you, but in recent years a number of companies have introduced alternatives for folks who’d prefer to stand, walk, or even ride a bike at their desk.

Acer’s new eKinekt Bike Desk goes a step further. Not only does it let you get some exercise while you work, but it also lets you charge your laptop by pedaling the stationary bike. Acer says the eKinekt BD 3 bike desk will be available in June for $999.

In a nutshell, the eKinekt BD 3 is a stationary bike attached to a desk large enough to hold a laptop computer. There’s also a cupholder, bag hook, two USB Type-A ports, and a USB Type-C port plus a small LCD display.

As you pedal on the bike, the eKinekt BD 3 converts that kinetic energy into electricity – pedaling constantly for an hour at 60 RPM will generate 75 watts of power that can be used to keep your laptop running or charge your phone or other gadgets.

The LCD display shows your cycling progress, and there’s an LED charging indicator on the bike that lights up while you’re pedaling to let you know that energy is being converted. There’s also a smartphone app that can be paired with the bike desk to keep track of real-time stats including duration, distance, and speed.

You can also switch between Working Mode (with the desk pulled close enough for typing) to Sports Mode (with the desk pushed further away to give you more leg room and space to lean forward).

Given the low power consumption of most modern laptops, pedaling away on the bike is probably only going to save you a few bucks a year in energy costs. But it’s still kind of interesting as a combo device for folks looking to get some exercise while they work while also cutting their carbon footprints. Acer notes that the desk top and bike component casing are also made from post-consumer recycled plastic.