Playing with toys all day — that’s how Neal Saiki describes his job. The engineer worked with a group to design the first-ever human-powered helicopter, which flew about 8 inches off the ground. It didn’t travel too far but was cool enough to be shown off at a museum in Washington, D.C. More recently, Saiki created an electric dirt bike. It costs just 1 cent per mile to operate — way cheaper than gas. Also, the batteries it uses are completely recyclable. Saiki says designing environmentally friendly products was important to him because he loves camping, hiking, and rock climbing and wants to preserve the great outdoors from pollution. Now, so many people want his electric motorcycles that there’s a three-month waiting list.

Photo by Michael Lewis

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Filed under: Electrical, Environmental, Trailblazers

Tags: Electrical, Environmental, Green Technology, Green Transportation, Transportation