Eco Factor: Concept velomobile is grown using arborsculpture.
The Ajiro is the brainchild of designer Alexander Vittouris and has been designed as an urban personal mobility system that is grown naturally rather than being created in a manufacturing plant. The designer aims to grow the skeletal frame of this velomobile on bamboo plants using the technique of arborsculpture.
Using bamboo and its rapid growth rate, coupled with the structural integrity of bamboo, the vehicle becomes ideal for the formation of a unique urban personal mobility. Conventionally, the modification of wooden and bamboo materials is done post harvesting, by using energy intensive methods such as heat bending. However, in this proposal the skeletal structure of the vehicle is grown on the plant, using the energy derived from the plant’s natural processes.
The velomobile concept also helps in keeping the air clean as it derives all energy required for propulsion using human power. While the rear wheels of the vehicle act as the steering mechanism, the front wheels provide power input. The designer states that the Ajiro concept is all about rethinking the approach to both design and ecological sustainability of the products that are created, as similar approaches are required for a greener world.
Via: Design Awards
