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Bombardier's Hot Wheel
Anonymous Chris writes "Following the release of the Segway, Bombardier (the makers of such things as Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles) announce their prototype Embrio - a motorcycle-like unicycle that uses gyroscopes to balance itself and runs off hydrogen fuel cells. It also features a landing gear that automatically retracts once you reach 12 m.p.h. The story is at Forbes. You can also get more information directly from their website."
These things are interesting yes, but are they really very likely, at all to become popular?
How much is such a thing going to cost. It's hard to buy a $300,000 vehicle on a college student's budget. But one day...
The design is really, really cool. But other than that, I don't really see the advantage of this. It seems to give no advantage compared to a normal bike, and has quite a few disadvantages (less space, more complexity). Throwing in a fuel cell-based drivetrain could just as easily (if not easier) be done for a two-wheeled bike as well - and would incidentally be a pretty good idea (with the electric motors in the wheels, you would get rid of the chain, and could have practical two-wheel drive).
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
From the article: The vehicle is designed as a guess at what transportation in the year 2025 might look like.
This might be pretty darn accurate. The thing that sets this apart from the Segway is one crucial element: Speed. If a Segway malfunctions you're not going wery fast... but with a vehicle like this you're pretty much doomed if there is a serious malfunction. At the very least the car behind you will run you over.
Current vehicles like cars and motorcycles can be stopped safely if you run out of power/propulsion, but something like this has to have safeguards which keeps that from happening.
Back to the whole 2025 thing: In order to make this stuff safe it requires testing, testing and some more testing. An that requires time.
Don't get me wrong... I love the idea, but it has to be done correctly and without compromises.
.: Max Romantschuk
It's so sad we've come to calling an idea "stupid" simply because it is easily conceivable as to how someone could hurt themselves with it. Whatever happened to assumption of risk? Those hoverboards in back to the future 2 (and 3) could really hurt someone if they're not careful, that doesn't mean it is something mankind should never get to voluntarily experience. Products liability is a good thing, but there has to be limitations. Wear a fucking helmet and don't cry when you get hurt. Products liability is holding us back... it's like intellectual property in that respect. It hinders innovation. Will we get sued for infringement? Will we get sued because people will hurt themselves? The bottom line is unavoidably unsafe products are too risky to develop nowadays, and that's a shame because they're quite often the coolest, most innovative, interesting things man ever makes.
Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
Vehicles like this are more for entertaining their inventors rather than becoming the next big thing. We all know driving around small vehicles at high speed is dangerous. My guess is this would be marketed towards thrill seeking individuals who need a little something extra in their drive across town (note: not city). Besides, it's impractical and cool as hell...what else could you ask for?
Recreational vehicles are supposed to be tough and reliable. Reliability is very much a part of the stability and dependability of your vehicle in adverse conditions.
In this case, instead of having 2 or 3 or 4 wheels to support a passenger in an accident or a lose of control, you only have one. I wouldn't like to be caught on an ice patch, a slick roadway, or an unsure trail off the road. The potential to lose control and have an accident must be greater with only one wheel. Of course, you could always jump off, but that is defeat in the eyes or a responsible operator, plus I wouldn't want to get in an accident in a cool(expensive) little monobike like that.
--"The perfect example of the man of action is the suicide." - William Carlos Williams
What advantage did the car have over the carriage? Gasoline wasn't common when they were introduced, they were arguably less comfortable and more unreliable than a horsedrawn cart, and they cost a great deal more.
'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
Blah blah, ha ha, motocycles kill. Dude, look, shit happens no matter what you drive. I know people that have driven a motorcycle daily for 20 years or better that have never had a wreck, and I know people that can't keep their cars out of the shop. It's all in the driver.
'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
Think motorcyle control mechanism - they're expecting crossover from bikers, and making it intuitive to a crotch-rocket pilot makes sense.
Bikers are already used to leaning into the corners, and using a twist-grip throttle.
Oh, this is great, eh. Bombadier invents the anti-snowmobile.
Well, that's not entirely true... it's got a lot in common with the snowmobile:
It's useful for a whole two months out of the year, it kills half the people who ride it, and only costs a bit more than thirty years' infinite travel on the TTC.
The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
What does your example have to do with the matter at hand?
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I would imagine that it tilts the riders backwards early in stopping so that they are pressed against the vehicle as they slow, then tilting upright when the speed is low enough. It would take a fair amount of testing and design to allow you to come to a screeching halt, but it could probably be done.
I imagine, though, that it would be a terribly frightening feeling to be thrown backwards as you stop suddenly.
That what was all this school was for... to teach us how to solve our own problems. -- janeowit
Those sports bikes are also good natural selection. It isn't uncommon to see three or four young men weaving through traffic without helmets riding bikes that can easily go 140MPH. I don't feel sorry for them at all.
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
Just a random musing from an anime/manga fan... :)
(oh yeah, and to pre-empt the usual replies, you 'anime iz just pr0n and/or anime fans are freaks/faggots/pedophiles/whatever' trolls can all just fsck yourselves. Have a nice day.)
There's no wrong way, to eat a Rhesus...
The problem occurs when you start mixing the people who are good motorcycle drivers with the people who are bad car drivers.
Unfortunately, the bad car drivers are more likely to survive.
A friend of my father, a skilled and conscientious motorcycle driver, was just killed by an asshole passenger vehicle driver who would not allow him to merge and maliciously (literally) forced him into oncoming traffic.
And I know people who've driven 35 years without a seatbelt and are still walking just fine. I'll still wear one, thank you very much.
:)
"Shit happens" no matter what you drive. But I'd rather be surrounded by armor if I hit something. It's all a matter of degree. You can't pull the 2 extremes out of an argument and say "see?".
I think it's pretty well documented that driving a motorcycle is inherently more dangerous than driving a car. Should it stop people using them if they're willing to take the risk? Not on your life.
Just don't get too mad at your insurance company
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.