Beijing artist Matt Hope has devised an ingenious solution for the current crisis – the “Breath” bike. Using only a few household items – a bicycle, a moped helmet, a trash can, a fighter pilot’s mask and a wind generator – Hope’s invention filters the air during a person’s commute.
As a rider pedals, the wind generator sends an electrical charge to a voltage amplification system – effectively turning the bicycle itself into a small power plant. Once the voltage crosses a critical threshold, a repurposed air filter, mounted on the back of the bike, turns on and delivers clean air to the fighter pilot mask.
Its awesomeness aside, Hope explains that riding on top of a small power plant does have one small drawback: “[the bike] makes 5,000 volts of electricity, which is, actually, really deadly. If you ride this in the rain you could, potentially kill yourself… I’m a little bit hesitant to use it, but in theory it works.”
Still, this is one cool Frankenbike!
Watch Matt Hopes “Breath” Bike in Action:
Images & Video Courtesy of Fabricatorz & Xiao Li Tan