WORDS Claire Jowell
Izhar Gafni, an Israeli inventor, has designed a cardboard bicycle that he hopes will give poor people in developing countries an affordable and eco-friendly means of transport. We found this video about the man and his tricky design journey really inspiring.
The 100 percent recyclable bicycle weighs 9 kilograms and costs a mere 9 to 12 dollars (R80 to R106). Gafni took over three years to get the model just right, and now the bicycle is ready for sale and use on all conditions of road. In the video Gafni explains the arduous development of the cardboard frame, which he says was similar to the Japanese Origami, “(if) you fold it once, it’s not just twice the strength, it’s three times the strength.” Eventually he got the form of the cardboard right, and then it was treated with a concoction of organic materials to make it waterproof and fireproof. To test this fundamental property of the bike, Gafni even had the prototype immersed in water for some months.
Cycling is the most efficient and eco-friendly method of transport on the planet, where 99 percent of a person’s power is converted into mobility, which is 5 times faster than walking. Gafni hopes that his design will change the transportation habits and potentiality of poorer people in developing countries, as well as developed ones.
Would you ditch your car for a paper bike?
