Tomáš Moravec modified a standard pallet to ride it on the tram tracks of Bratislava in Slovakia. Nothing beats the efficiency of a human powered vehicle on rails. Previously: Handcarts on rails. Thanks to Adriana Parra & Alice Prouvé.
Foot Powered Sieve and Bandsaw
October 9, 2013 by Filed Under: Human power, Pedal power, Pedal powered machines, Sawing machines
The Archanes Project, a natural building collective from Greece, shows two interesting designs for foot-powered machines: a sieve and a bandsaw.
“When George Chiletzakis told us that he wants to make a bandsaw, that will operate without electric power, at the beginning we all laughed. It seemed that this gave him bigger strength and inspiration to show us that he who laughs last, laughs best.”
Human Powered Pile Hammer
July 2, 2013 by Filed Under: Human power, Video
Check out this video of a human powered pile hammer in Thailand. Thanks to Arne.
Pedal Powered Electronic Waste Recycling Machine
September 25, 2012 by Filed Under: Human power, Pedal power, Pedal powered machines, Recycling, Trash
“The bicyclean is a safe, affordable, and efficient alternative for
harvesting electronic waste in developing regions. The bicyclean is a modified bicycle, where a processing chamber replaces the rear wheel and an external steel frame supports the rear hub. Processing of the circuit boards occurs within the sealed chamber and the particles are removed in a covered tray. A feed tube presses circuit board pieces into a large grinding wheel and become pulverized.”
“The particles pass a magnet that extracts ferrous metal particles. The particles then flow over a small eddy current rotor, which is positioned underneath the grinding wheel and powered by a 3:1 gear ratio with the bicycle chain. The changing magnetic fields of the eddy current rotor repulse conducting metal, but have no effect on non-metals; the metal particles are projected horizontally while the nonmetals fall vertically, separating particles in the bottom collection tray. The bicyclean requires a single operator.”
Human Powered Washer & Spin Dryer
August 4, 2012 by Filed Under: Human power, Laundry, Low-tech solutions, Washing machines
The GiraDora is an interesting design for a foot powered washer and dryer that costs less than $40. More here:
“GiraDora is a blue bucket that conceals a spinning mechanism that washes clothes and then partially dries them. It’s operated by a foot pedal, while the user sits on the lid to stabilize the rapidly churning contents. Sitting alleviates lower-back pain associated with hand-washing clothes, and frees up the washer to pursue other tasks. It’s portable, so it can be placed nearby a water source, or even inside on a rainy day. It reduces health risks like joint problems, skin irritation, and mold inhalation. Most importantly, it uses far less water and cleans clothes faster than conventional hand-washing.”
Hat tip to Kaan Ozdurak.
Chinese Wheelbarrow Lives on in Angola, Africa
February 16, 2012 by Filed Under: Cargo, Human power, Random, Travel, Wheelbarrows
The ingenious Chinese wheelbarrow lives on in Angola, Africa. The contemporary design is similar to the Ancient Chinese vehicle, except it uses straight boards and a car tyre.
The machine and the men pushing it are both called “roboteiros”.
More pictures: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12.
Thanks to Marco Cecilio.
