Ajiro Bamboo Bike

Today I want to bring another examples of the many uses that can be made of bamboo, because of its great stiffness and resilience : the Ajiro bamboo bike. A recyclable, human powered, zero emission vehicle.

I have been wondering whether this could be taken as an example of biomimicry or not before posting it here. 

Seeing this bike as the smart use of a natural resource - replacing artificial ones - to respond to a human need with a look to production process and embodied energy, makes it certainly belong to the category of Learning from Nature. That is, biomimicry.

“Consumption of raw materials has lasting implications – economically, socially and environmentally. This vehicle is about rethinking our approach to both design and ecological sustainability of the products we create and use,” said Vittouris. Instead of depending on the energy of factories to shape material into the form of a car, Vittouris’ design relies on nature for that energy.

Designed by Monash University student Alexander Vittouris, the Aijiro utilizes a production process that removes emissions instead of releasing them into the Earth’s atmosphere. That’s because the bamboo structure of this vehicle is grown straight out of the ground into a preformed mold. Vittouris envisions fields of bamboo gardens growing these human powered bicycles, which need only small modifications once mature to hit the streets.

The Ajiro is not only powered by the driver, but also has an energy storage system that allows for excess power to be stored and used at a later time. The Ajiro also provides a canopy of shelter for the driver and a reclining seat of woven bamboo stalks.

After the Ajiro is grown the skeletal structure that was used to form the base can be reused to grow future generations of this human-powered, low energy cycle.

From : The Ajiro Bamboo Bike is Grown From the Ground Up

by Brit Liggett 07/23/11 on Inhabitat - design will save th world http://inhabitat.com/the-ajiro-bamboo-bike-is-grown-straight-from-the ground/

// Sara