A bicycle wheel that filters outdoor air pollution
Called Rolloe, this bicycle wheel uses the riders motion to filter outdoor pollution, cleaning the air as they cycle.
The bicycle wheel uses motion and rotation to capture outdoor air pollution, including particulate matter and noxious gasses. The wheel draws in polluted air using the rider’s kinetic energy. The air is sucked into a set of reusable filters, which expel it clean back out towards the rider’s face and into the environment.
At average pace, the wheel captures 1.25 m³/km. Once the filter is filled, it can be returned to Rolloe for washing and swapping for clean filters. Rolloe is working with external agencies to turn the captured pollutants into new products such as construction material.
The wheel can be adapted to any bike. Initially, the wheel is aimed at hire cycles, and soon after the consumer market. The City of Belfast has put forward a motion to trial Rolloe in a 2021 pilot launch and they are in talks with London government bodies to do the same.
The wheel is currently undergoing engineering development and testing. The company aims to have the wheels commercially available in early 2022.
Rolloe is the winner of Design Innovation in Plastics 2020 and is sponsored by London South Bank University, The Imagination Factory, The Worshipful Company of Horners, IOM3, and Covestro.
Images: Rolloe