Pollution To Diamonds. One Dutchman’s Design For Diamondizing Dirty Air
A
new energy friendly mechanism that sucks smog out of the air and converts it into diamonds has been developed by a team of artists and engineers led by
Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde. Although currently still a small scale model, a giant version of the
How Could You Reinvent The Bicycle? Turn It Into A Space Ship
device will be tested next year in the notoriously polluted Chinese capital.
BY TIMOTHY DALTON
copper coils buried underground would generate an electromagnetic
T
field that attracts the smog particles.
world speed record for a pedal powered bike.
Basically a giant vacuum, it would be placed at a city park and would work by attracting smog particles into a tower that is fitted with ionic filters that would charge and remove smog particles, blowing fresh air out of the equipment’s side vents. Meanwhile,
his is not the world’s worst suppository – believe it or not – it’s a bicycle. Obviously, not just any old bicycle, though this is
called the ARION1 and it has been designed to try and break the
“The great thing about the technology is that is safe,” Roosegaarde
How fast can it go? Well, the current record is 83.1 mph and the
was quoted, “It’s already being used in hospitals and it’s very energy-
designers of ARION1 think that their vehicle will break the 90 mph
friendly, so to have 30,000 cubic meters of clean air purified, it only
mark. It has been created by students from Liverpool University and
uses like 30 Watts, which is like a light bulb.”
they say that it is 40 times more aerodynamic than a supercar like
Adding that his invention would produce corridors of clean air
the Bugatti Veyron.
that would allow the sunlight to shine through and that the version
It has pedals and two wheels and that’s where the comparison
he has planned for Beijing should have a cleaning diameter of about
ends of course because the rider needs a camera and a monitor to
50 metres. It should also produce immediate results. Then, taking
see outside.
his plan one step further he wants to use that smog and turn it into jewellery. “These diamonds can be used to create locally produced highend rings. Each ring supports the cleaning of 1km3 of polluted air,”
The weird looks can be put down largely to the fact that it is covered with a carbon fibre outer shell to make it more aerodynamic. The rider who is inside the shell will have a computer monitor showing images captured by an exterior camera to help see what is
Man-made diamonds are nothing new. General Electric created
happening outside. The team have worked on it for 6 months and
precious stones in a lab in 1950s, presumably for commercial use.
one of the designers, Ben Hogan, says that they are now in a “great
But it wasn’t until 1970 that the firm was able to produce gem-
position”.
quality diamond crystals, their lengthy procedure made production rather unsustainable.
Pedalling it in a reclined position the driver will be very close to the ground and although the ARION1 isn’t yet ready to be pedalled
Roosegaarde has been behind many innovative plans and ideas,
the students hope to have it perfected in plenty of time for the
such as a road that would charge electric cars as they drive and a
World Human Speed Challenge in the Nevada Desert, which will
floor that would generate electricity when people danced on it.
take place in September of 2016.
Brilliant ideas like this are needed to change the world.
We would be very interested on what you think about this. Endeavour Magazine | 25