Aquaduct Made By IDEO
IDEO cofounder Bill Moggridge presented this concept tricycle that purifies water as the rider pedals, at the Design Indaba conference in Cape Town last month.Called Aquaduct, it was developed to help people in the developing world who have to make long journeys to collect water, which is often unsafe to drink.
The tricycle has a large water tank mounted over the rear axles. Pedalling draws water through a filter to a second, removable, tank mounted in front of the handlebars.Aquaduct was developed for the Innovate or Die competition organised by bicycle manufacturers Specialized, and won first prize. Watch a video about the trike here.The designers who worked on the project were Adam Mack, John Lai, Eleanor Morgan, Paul Silberschatz and Brian Mason. Photographs here are by Nicolas Zurcher.
The vehicle seeks to address the two main challenges with water in the developing world: sanitation and transportation. Water-related diseases kill thousands of people each day. Moreover, water sources can be miles away from the home, and women must walk these distances carrying heavy water vessels. The Aquaduct is designed to allow a person to sanitize and transport water simultaneously.
As the rider pedals, a pump attached to the pedal crank draws water from a large tank, through a carbon filter, to a smaller clean tank. A clutch engages and disengages the drive belt from the pedal crank, enabling the rider to filter the water while traveling or while stationary. The clean tank is removable and closed for contamination-free home storage and use.
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way toooo awesome!
How much will it cost to produce and distribute? What kind of maintenance will be required?
This is the kind of thing that, while desperately needed by people in developing nations, is often completely impractical because it is too expensive or too technically complex to be maintained.
The “LifeStraw” approaches practicality in that it is very inexpensive and maintenance-free.
Where it fails is that it has a limited lifespan, and still has a price tag which is prohibitive for the people that need it the most.
Max you hit the nail on the head, that’s the first thing that came to my mind as well.
How much.
How much are the “filters” or what other consumable, disposable or matinenance items will be needed to keep this thing running.
I also thought about the weight of water, and trying to ride on sandy surfaces (roads are often in terrible conditions) – might not make it that far.
Good work on the innovation and motivation!
Wouldn’t it be better to survey the materials available in the locations in need of clean water, and then design water purification systems from those materials? That way, one could help folks in those locations by merely teaching them how to build the design.
For a more practical alternative, see
http://cleantechnica.com/2009/01/12/swedish-inventor-unveils-solar-powered-water-purifier/