Segway inventor Dean Kamen has his own take on water purification, the Slingshot. His machine weighs 45 kg and can produce 1000 liters of clean water a day from really dirty water. The machine is a vapor compression distillation system that is powered by a Stirling engine. Stirling engines are small, efficient, and can use a wide variety of fuel sources. The engine produces waste heat that can be used to boil processed water, cooking or other purposes.
He also demonstrated a prototype Slingshot on The Colbert Report on 20 March 2008. The prototype cost at least US$100,000, but Kamen hopes to lower the production costs to US1000. The video is available at the show’s web site, Wired and Gizmodo, with a brief article about the machine. There’s more information at Wikipedia, Sentient Developments, RexResearch and sfgate.com
Pedal power
The video below describes the Aquaduct, a bicycle that also filters 8 liters of water. It’s an interesting concept that addresses transportation, fitness and public health concerns in developing countries.
The bicycle is designed for women, but anyone over the age of 12 could ride it comfortably. I have no idea of the tires are solid rubber or inflatable. Solid rubber tires would be much more durable on trails, of course.
This ZDnet article has some more information
Tags: environment, innovation, poverty, technology, water
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