Pedal power promises pure magic!
Almost 20 percent of the world does not have access to safe drinking water, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), means 1.6 million people die every year of waterborne diseases. A team in California has a potential solution: a tricycle that filters water as one pedals.
Aquaduct is a tricycle that also works as a water filter, designed by Ideo, a company based in California. (Image: Team Aquaduct/Ideo)
Designed by Ideo, based in Paolo Alto, the Aquaduct has a water tank that uses the energy of cycling to filter the water into a smaller container – providing 8 litre of safe drinking water.
The idea is still very much a work in progress; it was created for the Innovate or Die competition whose sponsors include the search engine Google. The Ideo team won but as Paul Silberschatz, one of the team, said, there is still a lot of work to be done to make it commercially viable.
