floating bicycle !


I just read this piece of information at :
http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=7372&section_id=3 (article also pasted below )and its fascinating.......
necessity is definitely the mother of invention and this is just another proof of something I believe in so strongly - there is so much of knowledge around, and the perspective of people who have actually been in the problem can make so much of a difference. Second, there is a strong need for India to support grassroot innovations like this and take ideas like this forward with credit - both monetory and othrewise to briiliant people like Saidullah.

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Necessity they say, is the mother of invention. When floods ravaged Mohammad Saidullah's village, he found a new way to survive.
"Nadi ke kinare mera ghar tha. Aus usine mere ghar ko kat diya. (My house was near a river and it was destroyed by the river)," Saidullah says.
Saidullah designed a bicycle that can not only travel on land but also float on water.
He has named the Noor Bicycle, after his wife.
On land, it is just a bicycle and in water, it becomes a boat.
In a nation of a million cyclists - it took one man to think out of the box. And he even built in some special effects.
The cycle can goe front and back. If it gets stuck just pedal backwards and it will reverse.
"Isme ek aur khubi hai. Ye aage bhi chalti hai aur peeche bhi. Doosri cycle sirf aage jati hai (It has one more speciality. It can go front and back unlike other cycles which can only go forward.)," he adds.
Air floats keep the bike from sinking and fan blades propel it forward. It took five years and Rs 6 thousand to perfect the cycle.
The idea is brilliant and worthy of an IIT engineer.
Yet, Mohammad is just a simple villager. Geniuses like him live all around us.

Comments

Unknown said…
this is one of the great innovations which have been done in the rural India, and by the people who had no great technical qualifications.
What needs to done is recognize their efforts, award them amply and young aspiring entrepeneurs can build up on these products. These grass root innovations are quiet inspiring and bring forth the potential of the comman man.
8:36 AM
Anonymous said…
Its surprisin tht so many organizations claim to work for the grassroot innovators and still these innovations never come to light and the individuals never rewarded...btw which region/village are we talking abt here.
11:27 AM
Anonymous said…
Yes, It seems so attracive. One cannot refrain from appreciating it.

But Come on think of it, It's solution that suits the creator's environment and needs very specifically. It does not make good generic solution that is different than what already exists.

Paddled boats are there from long. Also think about saftey and usefulness of such solution. If we take that consideration and extend it further it will become close to simple paddled boats - Isn't it ?
10:18 PM
Anonymous said…
Yes, It seems so attracive. One cannot refrain from appreciating it.

But Come on think of it, It's solution that suits the creator's environment and needs very specifically. It does not make good generic solution that is different than what already exists.

Paddled boats are there from long. Also think about saftey and usefulness of such solution. If we take that consideration and extend it further it will become close to simple paddled boats - Isn't it ?
10:19 PM
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