Eight examples of pedal power and propulsion

If the bicycle is the most efficient means of transport ever devised, it's not surprising that humankind, the great toolmaker, has sought to leverage pedal power into other vehicles and apparatus. Here are some of the coolest inventions that capitalize on the mighty cranking energy inherent in a bicycle.

This isn't a definitive listing, just a gathering of our favorites. Feel free to leave links to any other pedal-powered projects in the comments below. Enjoy!

Aquaduct filter trike

The winner of Specialized and Google’s Innovate or Die competition was the Aquaduct tricycle.Designed by a team at IDEO for families in remote areas, who require a minimum of 75 litres (20 gallons) of water for drinking, cooking, washing, and cleaning, the bicycle is design to collect this volume from a water source. Then as the bike is ridden home, the pedalling action works a peristaltic pump, drawing water from the storage tank, through a filter, to a 2-gallon clean tank. ::Innovate or Die Award Winner

Sky cycle roller coaster

Well, roller coaster might be too grand a term. It doesn’t have the usual "big dipper" type drops, but that’s not to say it won’t bring on a few nerves. Riders, after all, pedal their little trolly cars around a track perched 16 meters (53 feet) above Washuzan Highland theme park. That’s about equivalent to a four-story building, but the spectacular view out to Japan’s Seto Inland Sea looks like it further heightens the sense of exposure. ::Sky Cycle

Cyclean washing machine

If you are handy with a spanner and have an old bike, wheelbarrow, and machine hanging about, you could emulate Alex Gadsen’s Cyclean pedal-powered washer and spin dryer. It took 20 weeks to develop his functioning prototype, which was used as a mini laundrette/laundromat at green festivals in the UK. Seems like he’s now gearing up to make plans available for folks to make their own. We also noticed a recent post on his forum page suggesting he’s at work on a new machine too. ::Cyclean Washer/Dryer

Bike blenders

Since we first reported on the gang at the Juice Peddler, they've been busy. Not only do they have a fruit juice and smoothie blender, which you attach to a Xtracycle Sport Utility Bike, but now they have versions for standard mountain and road bikes. And they've  branched out into a customised Fender Blender (pictured), which is kinda like an exercise bike that also makes fruit smoothies. Some parts are now made from recycled milk jugs, to round out the story. ::Bike Blender

Universal’s pedal hovercraft

This is a do-it-yourself project kit. $29-worth of plans explain how to construct your pedal-powered hovercraft from bike parts, wood, and tarp material. Apparently either model described in Universal’s plans can be broken down for easy transportation. Empty, they weigh 34 kg. (75lbs.), but are said to be able to carry a payload of up to 136 kg. (300lbs.). Ideal for school science or scout projects. ::Universal Hovercraft

Bicycle-powered billboard

Yep, you read right. A billboard. Electricity utility BC Hydro, and creative agency, DDB/Vancouver, teamed up with 120 volunteers to get across a message about super-efficiency of LED lighting. The 1,500 LED lights on the reindeer pictured were powered solely by cyclist’s pedalpower, with BC Hydro suggesting that if they’d used incandescent light, only 120 bulbs could’ve been powered. ::BC Hydro’s Bike Lit LED Billboard

Couchbike

The Couchbike is a tandem bike built around an old leatherette loveseat. Yeah, but don’t let the 43 kg. (95 lb.) vinyl Chesterfield fool you, because this pedal-powered, two-seater sofa has two independent drive-trains, each with 144 different gear combinations, which on acelebrated tour through Maritime Canada helped it reach speeds up to 44 kph (27 mph). Available for hire from the Bike Forest, the Couchbike is sure to draw a crowd or turn heads wherever it is ridden. ::The Couchbike

Pedal power + battery charger

We thought Motorola’s bike-powered phone charger was pretty clever. That was until we happened upon the Australian PedalPower+.Charging from either a bicycle’s bottle- or hub-style dynamo, it’s built-in battery will juice not only mobile phones, but also iPods, and other MP3 players, as well as digital cameras and PDAs. A USB socket is provided, and it doubles as a LED light. ::Pedal Power+

Warren McLaren is a blogger at Treehugger, where a version of this post originally appeared.

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