Innovate or Die

Tayo Akinyemi — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:54:07 -0500

'Innovate or die' is the challenge issued by the pedal-powered machine contest sponsored by Google and Specialized Bicycle Components. All 102 inventions are based on basic bicycle mechanics; entries range from a pedal-powered tennis ball launcher to the grand prize-winning invention, a self-described mobile filtration vehicle.

In simple terms, MFV is a modified bicycle that filters water as one rides it. All entries were evaluated based on "creativity, environmental impact, and design" as determined by its three judges: Mike Sinyard, Founder & President, Specialized Bicycle Components, Dan Reicher, Director, Climate Change & Energy Initiatives, Google and Rich Silverstein, Co-Chairman, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.

The contest winners, who were on announced January 16th, were appropriately-compensated given the theme of the contest. The Mobile Filtration Vehicle team won $5000 and five new Globe bikes. Brand new bicycles were also awarded to the five finalists:

MIT cycling team, who used pedal power to run a computer analyzing data for research on clean nuclear power;
Pedal-powered snowplow, which is exactly what it sounds like;
Multi-use bike machine that acts as a corn husker, grinder, blender, tool sharpener, etc.;
Velocytraptor mobile cinema that enables spectators to watch a ten minute movie and then subsequently "pedal back" the electricity expended for the show;
Dual-purpose bicycle, which is a regular bicycle that doubles as rice thresher, peanut sheller, corn shucker, circular saw, or woodworking lathe;

I would encourage anyone with a healthy sense of imagination and a free afternoon to watch the brief YouTube profiles of the winning inventions and submitted entries. It’s an outstanding testament to man’s ingenuity and desire to create.

Nonetheless, a part of me wants to hold up a sign exclaiming, "Welcome to the land of the false dichotomy!" Innovate or Die? Really? Yes, perhaps. But what really exists along the continuum between innovation and death?

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Innovate or Die