Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Irrigation on the hoof

25 May 2002

Farmers will soon be tapping into “cow power” to help them water their crops. Gary Henderson of Gravitational Systems in New York has developed a pump that’s driven by cows walking over it. The pump has a horizontal metal plate that can be embedded in the ground along any path the cows use regularly. When a cow steps onto the plate, it compresses a water-filled plastic bladder underneath. This pushes water out through a one-way valve into a pipe. As the beast steps off the plate, springs inside the bladder force it to expand, drawing water in through another one-way valve.…

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