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Whirling Twirling Propeller Trike

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the mit-students-with-to-much-time dept.

hankmt writes "A student at MIT has built a tricycle that applies force to a giant rear fan, instead of directly to the wheels. The effect...well, it's best to look for yourself, but it would be pretty useful on the post-apocalyptic roads of the Australian Outback. The blades of the trike even have built in LED lights which display colored patterns...and also warn pedestrians of their impending deaths."

4 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. Re:First prize for impracticality by Welsh+Dwarf · · Score: 4, Informative

    The for the record, it's 'kiki's delivery service' that has the bicycle!

    --
    Ask 8 slackers a question, get 10 awnsers (a citation, but I can't remember from who)
  2. Many bicycle riders do this by benhocking · · Score: 5, Informative

    It helps keep the pants leg from getting caught in the chain. Don't let that get in the way of your "gangsta" knowledge, however.

    --
    Ben Hocking
    Need a professional organizer?
  3. Miyazaki did it first... by Arctech · · Score: 2, Informative

    Or at least drew it first in Kiki's Delivery Service.

  4. Re:First prize for impracticality by tylernt · · Score: 3, Informative

    Gyroplanes (or gyrocopters, if you wish) auto-rotate all the time and can still do a zero-roll landing without a collective. The rotor speed is controlled by the angle of attack to the relative wind so you come in at speed and then flare at the last moment... not that that would really help a guy going down in this trike though, as he would have no control surfaces.

    --
    DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'