Career
Born in Warwickshire, England, Wilson went to the United States on a post-doctoral fellowship in 1955. He returned to Britain in 1957 to work in the gas-turbine industry. He taught engineering in Nigeria from 1958 - 60.
He started a branch of a United States company in London and in 1961 was moved to the United States. In 1966 he joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty and taught engineering design and pursued a long-standing interest into human-powered transport, coauthoring Bicycling Science.
He is credited, along with Chester Kyle, with starting the modern recumbent bicycle movement in the United States of America. A recumbent bicycle, the Avatar 2000, was designed by Wilson and Richard Forrestall in 1980. Tim Gartside (Australia) rode it as the Avatar Bluebell (United Kingdom) to a world record of 51.9 mph in the United States in 1982.
He also invented the carbon tax in 1973. Wilson invented of the "Wilson Turbogenerator".
An electrical efficiency of greater than 50% is claimed for his design.
A prototype 300 kW microturbine was under development in 2008 when work was terminated and Wilson was removed from the board and, later, from his company.
