Sunday, 13 October 2024
InfrastructureNews

Inventor makes “people part of the solution” with bicycle that cleans the air as you ride

Having already created a “smog free tower”, artist and inventor Daan Roosegaarde has reduced the scale of his creation to bring forward a device designed to clean the air as people cycle.

Researchers at Eindhoven University believe the system does in fact deliver tangible reductions in the concentration of PM10 particles in the air. Roosegaarde’s creation works by ionizing particulate matter, attracting it to a charged screen. That pollution is then turned into jewellery, reports TreeHugger.

The bicycle, while unlikely to have quite the capture footprint of the tower, does mobilise the technology. The system draws air in through a handlebar mounted device, cleans it and then releases the clean air back into the atmosphere.

Identifying bike share’s proliferation as a key opportunity to generate easy wins, Roosegaarde says: “Beijing used to be an iconic bicycle city. We want to bring back the bicycle as a cultural icon of China and as the next step towards smog free cities.”

Smog Free Bicycle along with Smog Free Tower and Smog Free Jewellery are part of the larger Smog Free Project. More concepts will be added in time, says the artist. The project follows Roosegaarde’s ethos to make people part of the solution instead of the problem, and use creativity and technology to improve life today.

The Smog Free Project will be a highlight at the upcoming Tianjin International Design Week (12-17th of May) where Roosegaarde will hold a Smog Free exhibition and dialogue at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts.

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