Natural Energy Park uses solar, wind, and tidal power to wins red dot award

It is sad but true that children these days learn entrepreneurship very early in their lives – dangle a gift in front of them and they will promptly get into action to complete their tasks. This winner of the red dot award Design Concept 2010in the Green category is Natural Energy Park prepared by a four-member team of Hyundai Engineering and Construction. The park is the answer to every parent’s nightmare of having their child turn into techno geeks and not understanding the essence of not just outdoor sports but also the importance of their ecology and environment. It is designed to be an experimental learning playground encouraging children to understand the importance of global resources and renewable energy. It highlights alternative energies such as solar, wind and tidal, through a number of eco-friendly ‘play apparatuses’ using the basic rules of science.

The unique games in the park are:
Benjamin Franklin’s kite will allow kids to spin a wheel which will in turn generate electricity to light up LEDs attached to a kite string.
By turning a lever to adjust the position of solar collector panels, children can observe the changing rotation speed of an optical illusion.
Kids can pedal a bicycle to generate electricity that rotates a pinwheel while also illuminating a traffic signal. This game will feature a light which will verify how much electricity the child is generating. Another bicycle will help them play music by pedaling explaining how kinetic energy is converted to electrical energy.
A typical seesaw and slide will also be present in the play ground. The seesaw will causes the waterwheel to turn and the will allow the children to experience the movement of water.
Children can learn the tricks of photography and its principles utilizing light with a pinhole camera and through a large periscope they can learn the concepts of videophone.
Last but not least the children can enact being pilots on an aeroplane which uses magnetic levitation to fly.
[Red-dot]