CycloClean: The Bike That Purifies Your Water

Taken from Nippon Basic's CycloClean product page: "1,900,000 children a year lose their life due to unclean water. (UNICEF) It is said that even now,approximately one third of the world's population can not get clean water,and the lives of children inunsanitary environments are in at risk."

The Japanese company attempts to tackle this problem with its innovative new bicycle, the CycloClean. Nippon Basic states that water purification and filtration systems are the solution to the world's contaminated water, however they are powered by engines which require gasoline or electricity.

By creating a method to purify water using solely manpower, Nippon Basic has tackled the problem from a very different angle. Relying on peddling power, the Cycloclean is capable of purifying up to 3 tons of water in 10 hours. According to the product page that's enough water to supply 1,500 people with purified drinking water from rivers or lakes. In a month, 90 to 100 tons of water could be produced using the new technology.

The CycloClean operates by first parking the bike and inserting a hose into an unsanitary lake or river. Next, the rear wheel is lifted off the ground via the bike's stand and the rider hops back onto the bike to start pumping. As the rider uses the bike's peddles, the water is pumped into the filtration system and comes out nice and clean. 

Not only is the bike a great way to create some safe, purified drinking water, it is also a great way to burn some fat. The only downside to Nippon Basic's awesome idea is the hefty price. Sitting at around ¥550,000 each, the bike would cost $6,650 each. Although it may be more practical to buy yourself a box of water bottles, we're hoping this tech will inspire some new methods to solving the unclean water crisis. Perhaps we can make miniature CycloCleans powered by millions of hamsters.

Tuan Mai

Tuan Mai is a Los Angeles-based writer and marketing professional focused mainly on PC gaming and hardware. He held the role of Social Media Editor across Tom's Guide and its sister publications for more than six years, helping the sites grow their audiences and also contributing dones of articles, with a special interest in the weird and quirky.