Pedal-powered Solutions
07Apr08
A lot can be done with the simple mechanics of a bike! Interactive cinemas, bread making machines, and ’spin art’ can all be powered by users. The most impressive concept I’ve come across recently is the winner of the Innovate or Die (a new contest for earth-cooling pedal powered inventions), The Aquaduct, a simple solution for transporting and filtering water for a whole family.
There was a Dragon’s Den episode from last year where a group of university students got funded to manufacture a water filtering device which worked in pretty much exactly the same way. I wonder if these guys are working together - its a great idea as although less efficient then building an actual water filtering plant (and I think actually cheaper to do so given the economies of scale), its easy to use and can be implemented straight away. One drawback is that from what I understand the chemical filter needs to be changed each year.
Nice one Menka, I thought that was a really cool video and invention when I first saw it too, but never got round to posting about it myself. Thanks for the reminder!
Nifty!
How exactly does the filter work? Is the water going to be as safe to drink as one that has been boiled?
Also, in many developing countries, hot drinks are rather favoured. Would it be possible to extend the design to cater for heating up the water too?
I’ve seen people cook food by burying it beneath the ground for a little while…