I am wrapping up my work in the Coordilleras. I am super excited to conclude this latest project for two reasons: One, it’s an awesome collusion of the latest green-tech and the oldest of organic traditions. Two, its a gift for my Igorata lover who have never had a bike before! 🙂
The frame is from my old traditional bike before I went to my bamboo frame. The frame goes “no-logo” thanks to my colleague Gaon-ngen’s rattan wowen accents over the old logos. He also.didbthe handlebar grips in rattan.
At the front of the bike is a bamboo/bottle/solar-charger/front-light It is controlled via twisting the cap, and charged via one of my coke bottle solar panels. The casing is 100% PET bottle with a bamboo inner frame and bamboo light shaft. The most challenging part of the design was allowing for removal from the bike, allowing for inner circuit acess/repair, AND keeping it strong and waterproof. It is a collaboration with Bamboo master Englebert Chan who will be finalizing the casing. He will be taking it from here to apply his experise with bamboo and translucent abaca fiber.
Last but not least is the bamboo battery. However, it is not a battery. Although this stores the solar panels charge this is not a traditin lithium polymer bayttery. You see, I’ve been experimenting for over a year with SuperCapacitors. Lithium battery tech is amazing (we use it in the OpenCharger) but, it is not cradle-to-cradle. A used battery is inevitably trash, pollution and perhaps even poison. Also, a major consideration is the impact of our insatiable demand for lithium that is fueled by its unrecyclability. Thus, I have been exploring a much more exciting alternative: carbon based super capacitors.
SuperCapacitors can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times (cell phone batteries only 300-600 times). They are also made from thin paper and graphite/graphene). They contain almost no plastic (unlike unrecyclable cellphone batteries) and no toxic heavy metals. Alas, they are much bulkier. That os why you don’t see them.much. But I realized that their cylindrical shape is perfect for bamboo and bike frame integration!
Here we have a crafted a rear tool box from bamboo and capped it with solar panels. The woven caps fold open for tool access and to access the inner super caps. The coke cap turns to illuminate a rear light. Turn it further and the remaing power level shows from 0 to 5.00 on the green LEDs.
This bamboo power pack is more proof of concept than anything else. Eventually, because the supercaps will last almost forever, we can build them directly into the frame. This is the most exciting– an organic frame that stores its own power!
Next: we make the first one! Onwards!
