A contest, sponsored by Specialized bicycles and Google, has quite a hard-hitting theme: Innovate or Die. The purpose of the contest was to showcase inventions in machines that used the energy generated by pedaling a bike to power something. A total of 102 entries from diverse backgrounds have poured in YouTube by the stipulated December 15. $5000 is up for grabs, along with Specialized bikes for each member of the winning team.
One of the entries is from childhood pals, Julia Coffin and Alice Arsenault, 17-year-old Concord High seniors. A 6-foot-tall pedal-powered water filtration system happens to be their ‘baby’. The inspiration behind the theme happens to be connected to a baby girl Coffin’s father and stepmom adopted from Guatemala where 5,000 children die each day from waterborne illnesses.
The duo, modest about their invention, began work casually under the guidance of Coffin’s stepfather, Mark Kritlow, who coached them on robotics and Destination Imagination teams since they were in grade school, and about the pedal-powered challenge.
Less than four weeks and $25 (sans the bike) later, they have this: A bike made stationary, and the back wheel attached to a simple pump that looks like a tiny steamboat paddlewheel. The pump is attached to a hose, which sucks up contaminated water when the bike is pedaled. The hose leads to two pieces of PVC pipe. The pipes, upright in a wooden stand, are where the water is filtered. Inside are pieces of smashed bricks or pottery coated with colloidal silver. The brick particles filter out dirt and sand; the colloidal silver kills bacteria. Colloidal silver is somewhat controversial: It isn’t considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration due to possible side effects, but it is an inexpensive way to clean water. The girls have long-term plans with their invention. They hope to see it providing safe drinking water in underdeveloped countries in near future.
Both Coffin and Arsenault are accomplished young girls I their respective fields. Coffin is secretary of the senior class. Arsenault is the band’s drum major. Both play on Concord High’s first official girls’ hockey team and have shelves full of robotics trophies. Arsenault has Worcester Polytechnic Institute for environmental engineering in mind. Coffin wants to go to college, join the Peace Corps and become a history teacher.
We are almost as excited about the results due on 15th January as anybody.
Via: Concord Monitor
