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A bicycle-driven air jack could help lift fallen debris in the aftermath of
an earthquake. Most simple pneumatic jacks are pumped by foot, but the person
doing the pumping quickly tires. The new jack design lets a person pump for
three times longer before they get tired, say the inventors. It has an air pump
connected to the rear wheel of a bicycle via a long fan belt, so that it can be
inflated faster and lift heavier loads. Atou Kitagawa at the Tokyo Institute of
Technology says the device can lift up to five tonnes—much more than a car
jack.