Marty Odlin, engineer extraordinaire for the Bamboo Bike Project and assistant director of the Columbia University Center for Sustainable Engineering, will be heading off to Ghana in the coming week! Marty will join a team in Ghana comprised of potential investors, scientists, and engineers, as he oversees field tests that will be run on our prototype bicycles!
After receiving the bamboo bikes that we sent some weeks ago, our contacts in Ghana ran some preliminary market tests to gauge interest in the product. The encouraging feedback they received has led them to begin the next stage of product development: product testing in the field, under the conditions and stresses that a bamboo bike would face when put to daily use by local residents.
Because the bamboo bike models being used by this Ghanaian team are prototypes, Marty decided it would be a good idea to be present at these field tests; better understanding the way these prototypes fare will enable him to refine the designs of future models. The Bamboo Bike Project also hopes that Marty will be able to answer all possible questions that might arise concerning engineering and structural mechanics, as well as assess any problems should they arise.
Marty will be in close contact with us throughout his trip to Ghana so stay tuned for updates on his travels and his findings!
