When you think of monorails, you probably conjure up images of the famed Disney World shuttle or of a super-fast bullet train rocketing across Japan, not about recumbent
bicycles housed in plastic tubes dangling from some roller coaster-like track. The latter is essentially what the folks at
Shweeb have created, though, and Google thinks the idea is good enough for the company to invest $1 million in it. Shweeb placed in the top five of the
Project 10^100, a Google-funded competition to identify ideas that "help," for "helping" to reinvent urban transport.
The concept places pedal-powered pods on a track, but, unlike trains, the enclosed bikes produce no pollution, and can theoretically move faster than a bicycle on the ground (about 28 mph). The promo video after the break was taken from a facility in New Zealand that currently attracts tourists, but Shweeb hopes to use the
Google cash to give the system a serious test in an urban environment.
Tags: bicycle, design, google, green, monorail, pedalpower, Project10100, shweeb, top, transportation
Comments
10
Subscribe to commentswulfkingSep 29th 2010 8:23PM
man, glad i didn't end up investing in google.
al schraderSep 29th 2010 5:01AM
@(verified) Nice, but if you phart inside that thing, there's nowhere to get out being up that high.
Physicists are known for our bicycles. How about a two-way bikeway along the roads ?....Alfred-
FLguy6Sep 28th 2010 9:25PM
Seems to me one can only go as fast as the pod in front of them.
RobertSep 28th 2010 9:29PM
really not new thouse wer out in the 50's and 60's at street faires and parks
assbellriprockSep 28th 2010 9:39PM
They looked like they were cooking along pretty good.I wonder if you only have 1 gear ratio or do you have the ability to up shift?Looks fun.
assbellriprockSep 28th 2010 9:46PM
They look like their clipping along at a good rate of speed.I wonder if you only have the one gear ratio or is it possible to up shift?Looks fun, I want to try it.
hangintufSep 28th 2010 10:38PM
Biking fast without worrying about getting hit by a car who resents your presence on the road? I like it!
Dare2WearTeesSep 28th 2010 10:51PM
WOW! That looks like it would be so cool to race those pods.
Dare2WearTeesSep 28th 2010 11:03PM
WOW, that looks like a really cool way to race. I don't see how it could work as a mode of transport though. The logistics would be staggering.
Uncla AlSep 29th 2010 12:25AM
They don't seem practical for mass transit. Same limitation as other monorails and fixed rail trains. They can only go where there are rails.