Uncharted Play (U-P) is at the generating-energy-through-play thing again! The social enterprise, featured in a GreenSportsBlog post last July, scored with the SOCCKET, the soccer ball with a gyroscope system inside that allows it to generate electricity when kicked (30 minutes of kicking generates enough electricity to power a lamp for 3 hours).

Next up is the PULSE, an electricity-generating jump rope! How cool is that?!?! GreenSportsBlog met with Nicole Brown, U-P’s Vice President of Marketing, to find out.

GreenSportsBlog: Congratulations on the success of Uncharted Play and the SOCCKET! It received such great press–what start up product gets not one but TWO US Presidents to support it? The SOCCKET does! President Clinton was an early supporter of the company back in 2010 and President Obama was photographed heading a SOCCKET in Tanzania in 2013. How are things going these days?

Nicole Brown: Thanks so much! Things are going well with the SOCCKET! We’ve sold 15,000 of them to date through our “Buy 1, Give 1 To The Developing World” system (every purchase of a SOCCKET in the developed world triggers the donation of a SOCCKET to the developing world, mainly in Africa). And we’ve had great corporate partnerships with companies like State Farm donating SOCCKETs to Latin America.

GSB: Getting an established company like State Farm to support a startup is not easy. Very impressive.  What’s next for Uncharted Play?

Nicole: We’ll be launching our second product, the PULSE, a jump rope that generates and stores electricity in similar fashion to the SOCCKET. It’s designed to be able to charge a cell phone: 15 minutes of jumping charges your phone up to 50 percent.

GSB: Will you be giving a jump rope to the developing world for each PULSE sold in the developed world?

Nicole: No. Because charging a cell phone is more of a developed world issue, we’re going to give a SOCCKET, which powers a lamp, to the developing world for each PULSE sold.

The PULSE from Uncharted Play, the jump rope that stores energy to power a cell phone. 15 minutes of jumping charges a phone to 50%. (Photo Credit: Nationswell.com)

GSB: Very smart. What does the PULSE cost?

Nicole: Right now, we’re doing our first-ever retail test (the SOCCKET was sold exclusively online) in New York City at the innovative Story Store. They are a combination of museum–it’s a gallery-style set-up that changes completely, including the items it sells, every 2 months–and a store. It focuses on start-ups with a social purpose. We’re there now with the PULSE, selling at $295. They are selling like crazy, even at that price point.

GSB: I have to check that out. What’s the PULSE launch plan beyond Story Store?

Nicole: We’ll go live online for Back-To-School. We’re not sure what the price will be, other than that it will be significantly lower than the $295 at Story Store.

GSB: And after PULSE, what’s next?

Nicole:  Down the road, we’re working on energy-generating basketballs and skateboards.

GSB: Well, you will certainly be busy. Good luck with the PULSE!

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