Can we use human for power generation?

Question

Build a very huge turbine. Humans walk up to the top.Step onto
a belt.The gravity will bring them down and turn the turbine at the
same time.1 million humans for one station, housed in the same
area, be paid cooperatively and so on...

Answer 1

It would work if it was marketed as the new weight-loss revolution.
With North America at a 60% overweight population we could have an endless supply of energy! There wouldn't be a membership fee or any pay cheque...maybe credit on your energy bill.
Years ago I saw on television a family that had human powered gadgets in their home... if the kids wanted to watch TV they sat on a stationary bike and pedalled to generate power to the tube... when they stopped so did the TV.
I often wondered why that didn't take off and be accessible to the public... I thought it would be great to have something like that in homes... would get so many people off of the couch and kids wouldn't be the next rising statistics of obesity and diseases.

Answer 2

It is possible but then humans will need energy from food which will ultimately be plants and then solar energy.so better to use the brain power of the 1 million humans and depend on the sun for the rest.

Answer 3

Certainly, There is much power generated by humans in Africa peddling water lift pumps for irrigation. Remember, power is the rate of doing work. Any sort of work per unit of time Example a Horse power= 33,000 ft pounds/ minute

So ft x pounds=work and you divide work by time here in minutes.

Answer 4

Really. It is so great. You could use it like a threadmill, and have them come for excercise, and generate power at the same time. How brilliant.-

Answer 5

possible but, that would mean slavery re-invented as in the times of the pharohs of the egypt.

we had the industrial revolution to do away with human pwered machines