Engineer Revives 19th-Century Heat Engine for Fuel-Free Bicycle
SAN JOSE,COSTA RICA - A Costa Rican engineer has successfully built a working bicycle powered by a 200-year-old heat engine design,offering a potential alternative to fossil fuels and electric batteries. Tom Stanton’s prototype utilizes an external heat source - in demonstrations, a simple alcohol burner – to drive the bicycle forward, circumventing the need for combustion or electricity.
The project, born from a fascination with historical mechanical designs, demonstrates the viability of technologies previously sidelined by the advent of internal combustion engines and, more recently, battery power. While the world grapples with climate change and seeks lasting transportation solutions, Stanton’s work highlights the potential of revisiting and refining past innovations. The engine operates by repeatedly expanding and contracting air within cylinders, transferring that motion via pistons to inertia flyers, and ultimately powering the rear wheel through a belt.
Stanton overcame initial hurdles by experimenting with materials to create a flexible stamp that prevented pressure loss without increasing resistance. Further refinements to the crankshaft length and airway design resulted in a more stable and quieter operation. The engine is integrated directly into the bicycle frame.
Despite remaining technical challenges, the prototype showcases how established principles can address contemporary transportation needs. The bicycle’s operation was documented and shared online by Stanton via YouTube.
(YouTube/Tom Stanton)
The creation of this content was attended by artificial intelligence. The source of this information is from a medium of the America (GDA) newspaper and reviewed by an editor to ensure its precision. the content was not automatically generated.
