Topic “transportation”
Of Mice and Rides
The Greener Gadgets Competition sprouts a wireless cork mouse that needs no batteries, and a bicycle that charges up your iPhone with a 3 kilometre ride.
Corky the Mouse harvests the kinetic energy of your normal mouse movement use, no more batteries. You can vote for her here if you'd like. It would be interesting to see them applying the same logic to this...
And the RolgerGen, a nice lo-fi personal powerpack, check the specs here. Reminiscent of Future City Mobility and Hybrid2, though these guys are distinctly higher-fi.
Drive Me
Driverless driving. SARTRE, an E.U. project that could be happening in under a decade will make just that happen.
Safe Road Trains for the Environment.
Wirelessly linking up to eight cars behind lead vehicles (a taxi, bus or truck). Your in-car navigation will inform you on what road trains are nearby and where they're headed, you pick a convoy, link up, automatically handing the control of your car over, and are driven on your way.
I wonder if it'd be safe enough for a nap.
When you're ready to leave, simply take control of the steering, change lanes and you're on your own again.
Saving up to 20% of fuel consumption from the drafting effect alone, see what GOOD have to say about it.
Hump
Self-explanatory, there's Humpin' Down Under, Even Ugly Hummers Need Lovin', Caught Jeff's Fancy...you get it. Get in on the action and submit your own hump.
Often entirely unnecessary, highly guzzling and certainly ego fluffing, with IHYH the Hummer get's it's own moment of vulnerability.
Awareness turned, Amusing.
Social Biking
Samsung Freecycle envisions a cycling world where bikes are shared and users communicate usage.
1. Locate bike on Samsung Device.
2. Message current user for access.
3. User replies with an okay.
4. Meet bike, plug in Device.
5. Cycle, repeat.
Nice idea, but PSFK highlights already apparent human hassles. I'd like to see the bikes just talking to users directly on an open platform, which would eliminate the need to associate with Samsung...which I guess defies their point...
Yikes
The electric YikeBike fits in your backpack.
Not a chain, gear box, brake, cable or lever in sight - running on a little yet powerful 1.2kW electric motor and controller, it has electronic anti-skid brakes, reaches a top speed of 20km/h, and has absolutely zero emissions.
(via The Design Blog)
LAMBORGHINI vs FERRARI
Both claiming to come up with a Hybrid by 2015. Does that mean I get to change my future car to a sexy beast ;-)
As Treehugger says - "Big pissing contest." For me - I choose the Gallardo... fo shizzle. Ha.
Tasty Bike
So it's not edible, but it looks hot enough to be. :). London Garden, winner's of this years Future City Mobility have got it tight. I don't know how to ride a bike...but this concept makes me want to get into gear quick-fast.
A quick rundown, an area of London cleared off just for bikes. They're not ordinary bikes, they store energy, you ride them faster they store more energy - you don't pedal at all, they consume a little energy and become electric scooters. But more, the bikes are foldable, take them onto a public bus and they become your bus seat - and also (!) the energy you created whilst pedaling turns into credit for your bus fare.
And there are bike rack 'trees' that generate bike charging power from rainwater, sun and wind. Wa.
(via PSFK)
Human-Powered Monorail
The Schweeb...
No emissions involved, aerodynamic, able to travel up to 40 mph, the inventor wants to see it as a standard mode of transport within the next 15 years.
(via The Daily Dig)
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