The New Inventors -  Re-Inventing The Wheel

Hosted by the exuberant James O'Loghlin, The New Inventors: Re-inventing the Wheel takes a look at the breakthroughs that will change the way we travel on land and sea and how we'll fly in the future. Tonight's out-of-competition special features new ideas on how to cut down the cost of driving to one cent per kilometre; take a flight in a battery powered helicopter; and use hydrogen to power the ships of the future. Reviewing these three inventions are agricultural scientist Chris Russell, designer Alison Page and engineer James Bradfield Moody.

Inventions featured on the program:

Invention 1: Trev by inventor Dr Peter Pudney from SA

After the excitement of driving a solar powered car across Australia, Dr Peter Pudney wanted to use similar technology to make a battery powered car for driving around town. The result is Trev - a shiny green three-wheeled vehicle that can reach speeds of up to 120kmh. This concept car has a sleek tapered body that seats two people - one behind the other. Powered by 45 kilograms of lithium ion batteries, it has a range of 150 kilometres before it needs plugging in for a recharge. Best of all, if the electricity comes from renewable sources, Trev is emissions-free motoring. Trev - the car you plug in and drive away for 1c a km.

Invention 2: Hydrogen Boat by inventor Colin Salmond from QLD

Solar and wind will help deliver the sustainable energy of the future, but how can they be used by ships at sea? That's what has Colin Salmond thinking about hydrogen power for shipping. He's devising a system to manage and control all the technologies required to generate hydrogen on a boat whilst at sea. His vision is for ships to be equipped with vertical wind turbines and solar panels that will power a hydrogen generation plant that will fuel the ships of the future. One of the first applications could be hydrogen powered fishing boats that will be able to stay at sea far longer than conventional craft. Hydrogen Boat - turns salt water, sun and wind into fuel.

Invention 3: The Co-axial Helicopter by inventor Sean Herbert from NSW

At first glance, it looks like there's something missing from this helicopter: there's no tail rotor to stop it from spinning out of control. But as Sean Herbert explains, his co-axial helicopter is designed for stable flight without a tail rotor. Also missing are the conventional three flight controls which have been replaced with an all-in-one control stick. These unique design features make this chopper far easier to fly and more energy efficient than conventional designs. At the moment, it's powered by a gas turbine engine, but very soon there will be a model with a battery powered electric motor. The Co-axial Helicopter - the quiet, energy efficient and easy to fly helicopter.

The New Inventors will be repeated on ABC2 - Saturday, October 11 at 6:05pm

Also available on iView