bits and bikes

In a new twist on Human Computation, a team of 10 MIT cyclists pedal-powered an energy-efficient SiCortex SC648 supercomputer for 20 minutes, as a stunt related to their entry to the poorly-named Innovate or Die contest.

From the article at xconomy:

Their bikes were hooked up to generators, and as the team members pedaled, they produced direct current energy. The generators, in turn, were connected to a converter that transformed that energy to alternating current, which was used to power a couple of small SiCortex supercomputers, which were running an application that simulated a fusion reaction.