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Research by a team of British students, lead by Dr. Alex Stedmon, could make motorbiking safer for everyone involved.
Using a donated Triumph motorcycle, the Nottingham-based team created a simulator linked to a projection screen to give a realistic impression of being on the road. The motorcycle sways left and right pushed by four pneumatic actuators while a road environment is projected onto the screen in front, but the researchers want to further improve it by adding more features, such as vibration for the bike and road surface, wind effects and more realistic acceleration and braking effects.
When further developed, this project could prove to be an useful tool for training any rider, helping them develop key skills and responses to dangerous situations. Custom situations can be designed for different purposes and the rider’s performance can be measured by specialists, which could provide useful data for manufacturers and road safety organizations.
The simulator should be operational starting this month.
BBC and Daily Mail via Gizmo Watch.
Self-inflating tires might sound sci-fi, but Coda Development says they’re not.
The SIT system works by inflating tires as the car moves. It only has two components, a chamber inside the tire wall and a managing valve, and it functions on the principle of a peristaltic pump. A short explanation from the manufacturer:
The tube chamber is kept closed at its lowest point by the normal tire deformation caused by the weight of the vehicle.
As the tire turns against the road this closure moves along the tube chamber, forcing more air into the tire with each wheel revolution. Simultaneously, it pulls outside air back into the chamber from the other side.
The managing valve ensures that the pressure is optimal by alternately letting outside air in and circulating air between the tire and the tube chamber. The managing valve can be either electronic or purely mechanical. The tire pressure can be set during regular maintenance or even by the driver.
You can see an animation of the system here and a video of test results here.
The system is currently being previewed at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit, so we’ll probably hear more about it soon enough.
via.
When talking about cars we usually think about ways to make ourselves comfortable in them. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but when children appear their needs must take the first place, since they can’t speak up for themselves.
It makes sense then that the Cold Seat was designed by a mother. Traveling in summer is not that much of a nuisance to adults, since they sit in front, air conditioning blowing in their faces, but the heat can make a sensitive baby really uncomfortable. The Cold Seat is a device meant to cool the car seat prior to strapping the baby in it. It must be placed in the freezer the day before the trip, then left in the seat until it cools, so afterwards little Bobby or Mary can enjoy a nice cool ride.
You can get it for $49.95 on ColdSeat.com.
via.
Sometimes vehicles aren’t only designed for transportation - they’re used for expresing an idea. This is the case with “The Thunderbolt” Scooter Concept by Henrik Björkman. This electric scooter doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking in terms of power sources, but it makes a stand against traditional engines.
Its most striking feature is the hole in the middle, where the engine would normally go. In this case, the electro-magnetic power train is inside the rear wheel, thus leaving room for the “anti-engine”. It has a decent range: 70 km on a three hour charge.
More pictures after the jump.
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If you’re looking to make your lifestyle more eco-friendly, transportation is one of the key issues. Maybe you don’t want to start biking - a scooter could be the best in-between alternative.
The X-Treme XM-2000 Electric Moped is a Chinese-built scooter powered by a 2 kW electric motor and a 60 volt battery pack. It cannot reach an impressive speed, only 40 to 45 MPH and it can only travel 30 to 35 miles on a full charge. If you need to travel more, you’re out of luck, but it is a good option for a commute of about 15 miles. Given the current price of electricity, this translates as a price of about 1 cent per mile. Charging the battery is simple: it comes equipped with an automatic charger which can plug into a standard 110V socket.
The price is $2000 and you can choose between two colors, blue and red.
via.
In order to improve traffic safety, Denso Japan will begin testing vehicle-to-vehicle communication in April, on public roads in Abashiri, Hokkaido. By using this technology, vehicles are able to interact with each other via radio waves and the system is expected to help avoid vehicle collisions.
The tests will employ in-vehicle communication devices on the Ultra High Frequency band between 669 and 679 MHz, and frequency band between 5811.5 and 5828.5 MHz, and they will measure noise and other conditions during the travel.
via.
Yeah, all of these:
1. Goodyear, the tire manufacturer, will start its satnav line of products. The company that will produce them is called The NCC.
2. Garmin Edge 305 has a Heart Rate Monitor included in the device, so that you know when you are having a heart attack. Or when you are tired… Really, I can’t see the reasoning behind it. via
3. Gramin nuvi 5000 has a 5.2′ touchscreen. It’s aimed mainly to use in large vehicles and it has features like built-in games, SD expansion, FM Traffic Message Channel, automatic rerouting and the ability to save up to 10 routes.
4. NavStar Voice Navigator doesn’t have a screen, on the other hand. It is based only on voiced directions. I would not be too happy with it, what can I say?
Go Karts are fun. A lot of fun, actually. I go and drive from time to time and it is still as fun as when I was younger (more fun, actually, because now I know I can do things I am not allowed while driving my car). But I have never thought of actually packing up and taking the Kart in a trip around the world, or even to my friends’ home.
Apparently someone did, as seen in the pictures below:
We cannot find where you can buy this thing, but go HERE, at our friends at ThinkGeek
and look for some cheap toys to have fun until you find it :)
Not long ago we’ve shown you the pimped golf carts. Well, now here is a luxury golf cart for those with too much many to care:
The price? Not bad at all: $22,450.00 for the electric version and $23,350.00 for the gas version. Of course, the price is not bad since we assume you already have 6 luxury cars in your garage if you want to buy a golf cart THAT expensive. Of course, as any other car, it has a lot of optional features, like custom paint ($1,500) or custom wheels ($1,850.00). You might think it has nothing on it, but this is not true.
Here it is, the standard equipment:
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Not really a gadget, but truly, not a motorcycle either: the Big Toe, as it was named, is a huge motorcycle, standing at 7.5 feet high (2.3 meters). And, what is more important, it can be used on public roads.
Big Toe is powered by a 1975 Vintage Type E Jaguar SOHC 2 valve 60 degree 300HP 5.3L 12cylinder engine. Intake comes from 45mm twin choke Weber carburetors and a custom stainless muffler system handles the exhaust.