We talk about all kinds of new fuels and how they will alleviate our dependence on oil. But why don't we just make an engine that can run on anything? Well, Russell Henning, a student at San Jose University did just that. The Grasshopper, shown here, is a walk behind tractor that has an engine that will run on anything. Slash from a field, hay, coconut shells, dried food waste, anything, as long as it's organic and dry, can but put into the Grasshopper and the thing will run.
This is the first run-on-anything engine I've ever seen. Not only does it find a use for all that trash, it's also a simple and inexpensive machine that can increase productivity of farmers across the world. This doesn't prevent CO2 emission, but it does lessen the amount of mining and drilling needed to run a tractor.
