The bicycle of the future - pedal and clean the air

Bangkok-based Lightfog Creative & Design Company has found a new and rather unexpected use for the old bike. Their brainchild called Air Purifier Bike not only does not pollute the air, but also purifies it, saturating the air with oxygen like a tree. The new technology could become a reality in the coming years.

Thai designers Silawat Virakul, Torsakul Kosaikul, and Suvaroj Poosrivongvanid have built an air filter into the aluminum case of the new eco-bike model, which captures pollutants, dust and carbon dioxide from the air on the go. When the bike is parked, the cleaning continues with the electric battery. The concept also includes a photosynthesis system that uses a built-in water tank to produce oxygen.



According to the report of the developers, the model is developed only on the layout, but in the near future will be assembled the first copy. However, this did not prevent the authors of the idea from receiving the prestigious “Red Dot” award last year. According to consulting firm Lucintel, the government is interested in developing and distributing the new bike, as it will not only help reduce pollution but also alleviate congestion in major cities.

In Europe, according to Nationa Public Radio, bicycles have long become more popular than cars – and their relative cheapness is not the only reason. In 25 European countries, bike sales far outperform car sales. For example, in Greece, Romania and Slovenia, environmentally friendly two-wheelers are purchased five times more often! And this is just the beginning: the population of cities is constantly growing, but the roads, alas, are not rubber.



But most of all, China needs bicycles, to the limit loaded with transport and choking from the soot constantly hanging over the cities. Matt Hope, a 38-year-old British artist who now lives and works in Caochangdi, an art area in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, one of China’s fastest-growing areas, took up the challenge.

As you know, creative natures do not take courage when it comes to something truly large-scale. Thus was born the project “Breath”, which was presented in 2012 at the famous Chinese festival of contemporary art “Get It Louder Biennial”. The installation is a bicycle built by the artist from parts of a wide variety of objects, which includes an electromechanical filtration system.



Having assembled an air purifier from scrap metal, Matt Hope connected this machine to a generator, when pedaling, which generates electricity. Thus, while the cyclist pedals, this unusual art object and at the same time the vehicle cleans the air, making a modest contribution to the restoration of the environment.

Especially for trips to Beijing, the author slightly modified his invention, supplementing it with a helmet and a tube connecting a breathing mask with an air filter. Thus, it was possible to solve the problem of smog in Chinese megacities directly for the cyclist.



Of course, while technically functional, the Breath is more of an artistic metaphor and a provocation in one bottle than a practical solution to Beijing’s pollution problem. That is why the inventive Briton in the company of his “iron horse” moves around the city in a bright vest, thereby attracting the attention of motorists to the problem of environmental pollution.

Source: facepla.net