The Bike Washing Machine, a sustainable power combo created by college students at the Dalian Nationalities University in China. This cool invention does exactly what it’s name implies, it allows you to ride an exercise bike while simultaneously preforming a very commonly disliked chore, the laundry. The Bike Washing Machine or “BiWa” for short, can do wonders for those who wish to live more sustainably or even completely off the grid.
The B.W.M was created by the designers: Xuefei Liu, Di Fang, Linhao Su, Zhanbing Li, Xiaoyu Gao Xueyi Wang, Wen Fan, Liying Zhu, Deqian Zhao, Huan Li, Mengmeng Hu and Weiwei Li of Dalian Nationalities University (Photo credit: Truvie.com)
Truvie.com reports “When you ride this bike, the pedaling motion causes the drum of the washing machine to rotate, at the same time, the superfluous electricity is generated which can be used to power the display screen or stored for future use.”
(Photo credit: Cuvier.com)
The pedal powered washing machine is a simple enough idea, however the fact that this bike generates electricity at the same time is exciting. Though this model only generates and stores enough electricity to charge your phone and light up it’s display screen, technology could potentially progress to power a lot more.
(Photo credit: Truvie.com)
As always there are some ups and some downs, while you are combining activities by exercising and washing clothes, you may have to do more loads of laundry than usual. The bike has a small washing compartment compared to normal machines, but the switch to a more sustainable appliance is worth it to many environmentally conscious people. It could also be a blessing for the less fortunate people who need to save on their electricity bills, especially if the family is large.
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Unfortunately, this interesting new technology is not for sale yet. The students have seen some interest from investors but there are no current plans to put this on the market anytime soon.
Other people have had similar ideas, like this Sheffield graduate who came up with the spin cycle.
Take inspiration from these students and DIY inventors, it’s ideas like these that will help the world become more eco-friendly and sustainable place for everyone.
