The Cardboard Bicycle

Itzhar Gafni of Israel has done something quite remarkable – he has re-invented the wheel. Or to be more precise, the bicycle.

Gafni makes his bike out of cardboard. First, he folds the cardboard in precisely the right way and then he treats his creation with resins to dramatically increase its strength. He says the finished product is stronger than steel. The inventor claims his creation is waterproof, fire proof and environmentally friendly.

So what good is a cardboard bike? It’s cheap to manufacture. Gafni says the materials for his bicycle cost less than $20. And that means that transportation options have dramatically increased for poor and developing countries where present day bicycles are an unobtainable luxury. For most of us in the US and the industrialized nations, having access to a bicycle may seem like a small thing. But if  your present situation limits you to walking, a bike means freedom.

Gafni proudly displayed his invention at the Microsoft ThinkNext convention in Tel Aviv this week. He says his next project is to manufacture wheel chairs out of cardboard. That should be a blessing for millions of shut-ins and invalids around the world who are indigent.

Hooray for Itzhar Gafni, who proved once again that the human mind is capable of far more wondrous ideas than any computer.