Bombardier's Embrio: Sexier Segway?

Ridgelift writes "Articles at Wired News, Popular Science, and Forbes are covering Bombardier's Embrio. It's a single-wheeled, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, gyroscopically balanced concept vehicle. While the Segway tops out at 6 mph, the Embrio 'hits 35 mph in the learning mode alone.' Very cool -- looks like something straight out of 'Minority Report.'"

Comments

Embryo is sexier...

[eurleif]

Yeah, Embryos don't create themselves.

Stopping distance

[Camel Pilot]

I noticed no specs on stopping distance. Just from the physics of a unicycle wouldn't rapid stopping be a problem?

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Re:Stopping distance

[XNormal]

For now though, this Embrio is still in utero-no working model yet exists.

Imaginary vehicles don't have a stopping distance.

Re:Stopping distance

[djupedal]

No problem at all...and a traditional unicycle is hardly a basis for an example. The 'propulsion' is hard-fixed to the wheel, and there is no computer to make split second decisions. Try this for more info...

Couple a decent accident avoidance system with an anti-lock disc brake, along with the gyros and the only limit is the adhesion patch between the tire and the pavement. Staying upright is just a matter of not locking the brake...micro-second brake pulses, etc. Or, assuming an electric motor of some sort is involved, you simply backfeed (turn the motor into a generator), and it will do the braking for you.

My sportbike does +150mph, weighs 370lbs and can haul down from 60-0 in less than 120 feet (0 to 60 to 0 inside 5 seconds). I'd bet the Embrio could do better than that, just on less weight alone.

Heavy

[dj961]

If you look at the specs this thing is really heavy, I don't think I could lift 360 pounds so to me it more like a motorcycle then a segway.

ARTICLE INCORRECT

[mOoZik]

It says the Segway tops out at 6 mph. In reality, the number is 10 mph for the P Series and 12.5 for the I and E Series. (source: Seqway Specs.
Get your facts straight!

Oversimplification

[Waffle Iron]

While the Segway tops out a 6 mph, the Embrio 'hits 35 mph in the learning mode alone.

But this statement fails to mention the main objective of the Embrio's "learning mode": To instill in the trainee using adverse experience why it's a bad idea to exceed the maximum recommended operational speed of 6 mph.

Why?

[tftp]

So the design is cool, granted. And quite maybe it should have been done, as a design, as an exercise in mad science. Engineers need to relax too :-)

But from the practical POV, this thing is a no-go. Anyone who ride motorbikes probably would agree. The mechanics of braking is none too gentle, and even if your bike has two wheels (and you on top, which is usually the case ;-), it can easily fight the gravity. And if anyone thinks that the riders of this Embrio will never exceed 30 mph, and will never need deceleration more than 1g, for example, they haven't learned a thing about humans :-) Fact is, humans tend to go as fast as they can, and as result they need to stop equally fast too.

Besides, what's the point? A motorbike (or a bicycle as its little brother) is already perfect. It exists pretty much unchanged for how much - 100 years? It's fun to ride, it's reliable, it's powerful (kW per pound ratio is good!), and it's small - so you can park it anywhere. You only shouldn't ride it in winter; but this Embrio is not any better traction-wise.

So again, why? Why exactly two wheels are bad? Why exactly it is so inherently evil to lose power and still be able to coast safely to a stop anywhere you choose? Why it is so bad to be able to brake hard when you have to? Why it is ungood to be able to fishtail on a wet road but still stay up & smiling? There is no such explanation in the article. My guess is, they made it because they could.

But as I said, the design is cool. Hydrogen fuel cell should be used in other vehicles (bikes #included). That would be good for the planet. But one wheel ... leave it for the circus.

another blurb and pics

[io333]

linky

The start of a new industrial revolution?

[t0qer]

50 years ago, if you wanted to build a car/motorbike you would need to draft plans, then have a prototype built/tested before it ever hit a real assembly line. This would also generate tons of paper which had to be stored and secured. If you wanted another plant to have your plans you would have to mail them, train workers, ect. Changes and customizations took weeks or months, depending on how much training was needed for the workers and how much retooling was needed for the line.

Now you can design it in cad. Without even building a prototype you can test the handling inside a computer, then when your cad drawing is exactly how you want it, outsource the assembly it to a foriegn factory. Thanks to the lovely internet you can have your plans get there in hours. Changes can be made on the fly because workers have been replaced with robots. Japan is still ahead of the game in robotics, that's why I predict they will be the first to specialize in these types of "Just in time" assembly lines.

As reliable as current automotive robotics are, I think that we will see companies like Honda building entire factories filled with Asimo robots. Since the human body is designed so well for so many tasks, it makes sense for them to use humanoid robots for more general tasks like the current human population is used for today. Yes despite robots in factories now, we still need humans, but I don't think it will be too long before we have robots doing these tasks.

The bottom line to all this is once the ball gets rolling from these independant outfits like segway building vehicles, we'll see more variety on the road, and not just the gas guzzling oil dependant combustion vehicles we have today, but neat stuff like this self balancing unicycle.