James Dyson Award Finalists
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Here's the US National Winner: the Copenhagen Wheel. Christine Outram and a team of MIT students invented of a wheel that turns a regular bike into a smart, electric hybrid. The Copenhagen Wheel allows riders to capture the energy dissipated when breaking and cycling and use it when they need it, like when they're biking up a hill. -
The mechanism is controlled through a rider’s smart phone, strapped onto the handlebars. The phone's GPS system also enables riders to track road conditions, congestion, and pollution levels. -
Another bike-related winner, the Public Bicycle Security System, is a bike rack with an integrated lock and alarm. Flexible cable locks enable the user to lock all of the bike’s components, while a circuit embedded in the cable adds a second level of security: if the cable is cut, an alarm goes off, and a signal is simultaneously sent to authorities. -
The SeaKettle is an emergency life raft that provides both insulated, reliable shelter and fresh drinking water. A passenger pumps sea water up to a Gortex covered reservoir. When the water evaporates, it hits the top canopy and condenses, filling the four pockets around the raft with fresh drinking water, which they can drink while waiting for rescue. -
Kee is an invention that prevents a car from starting until the driver inserts his cell phone into a dashboard unit; this disables all calls and messages and turns the phone into a simple-to-use stereo system. The goal was to prevent automobile accidents caused by driver distraction by taking cell phones out of the driver’s hands. -
A monthly refillable HIV/AIDS Medical Kit, Empower By Me is designed to improve the lives of rural Africans. It contains 12 nutritional bars for when food is scarce, aspirins for side-effects, vitamins, a month of antiretroviral drugs, and a portable timing device. -
Mantis is a fully adjustable portable dental chair that also doubles, when collapsed, as a dolly to carry bulky and heavy equipment. It was designed with non-profit medical organizations in mind; it can be carried as luggage rather than airlifted into the field. -
Parquinho is a series of modular playground equipment specially designed to supply the sensory input that children with autism need. The playground incorporates activities for both autistic children and those without disabilities, enabling them to play together. -
Purify is a medical sanitizing station and automated all-in-one sink, intended for use in hospitals to decrease the high prevalence of work-related infections. The design incorporates existing Dyson Air blade digital motor technology in its delivery system, which cleans and dries users' hands issuing atomized soap, water, and high-speed air. -
The Guardian Fire Suppression System is a new-and-improved take on a fire extinguisher holder. A spring-loaded door allows immediate access to the fire extinguisher, without getting confused about how to open the case or the risk of injuring oneself on broken glass. -
This Travel Pack is designed to carry a bicycle on an airplane—it transforms from a single suitcase (carrying the disassembled bike) into two separate panniers, which can compress and clip onto the back of the reassembled bicycle once you get to your destination.
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6 Modern Bikes
Today marks the 129th anniversary of the first transcontinental journey via a penny-farthing, accomplished by the gallant Brit, Thomas Stevens.
Eclipse P9 Bike
This baby folds in ten sec onds flat to dimensions of 16.5 by 35 by 30 inches and weighs just 29 pounds— essential attributes for commuters who travel on trains with bicycle restrictions. Eclipse has 24-inch wheels and a nine-speed drivetrain, boons for riders seeking the comfort and flexibility of a full-size bike in a folding version.
Smarten Up Your Home in 2013
They say that home is where the heart is. And now your home can have a brain as well. Sound futuristic?
Modern Architecture Hill Climb: Bicycle Ride
Gear up and join architects David Baker and Robin Levitt and planner Rob Bregoff for a guided ride past some of the city’s most spectacular post-earthquake homes. The tour will focus on notable modern residential architecture outside of San Francisco’s downtown core and will cover 15 miles, including steep hills. It will look at works by Second Bay Area Tradition architects and contemporaries, including buildings by Richard Neutra, William Wurster, Gardner Dailey, Henry Hill, and Anshen + Allen. Part of a rich architectural tradition, these buildings are also a feature of our everyday landscape. Viewing these houses through the focused lens of local architects and planners, our daily city becomes a richer, more revealed place.
Total tour time is four hours. Ride will cover 15 miles, including hilly terrain. Riders must provide their own bicycle (low gearing recommended), lock, and sufficient water, and must wear comfortable clothing with layers and a helmet. Riders will be provided with a route map, a reflective limited-edition laminated spoke card for their bicycle wheel, a souvenir T-shirt and a small snack. The tour will stop for lunch: Please bring your own lunch or cash for an inexpensive lunch purchase.
Tour led by architects David Baker, FAIA, and Robin Levitt and planner Rob Bregoff.
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