The gyro-stabilized, two-wheeled future of transportation is the bicycle, people. Seriously.
If you're really into it, you can throw an electric assist motor on.
This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
41–50 of 164 posts
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#42No, it isn't!
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#43All the seating and cargo capacity of a motorcycle, with the visibility of a car! There's no way in hell I'd split lanes on that thing; when I'm on my motorcycle, I have no obstructions and can see all around me, and definitely know where the edges of my bike are. This looks like a low-slung claustrophobic nightmare. Even if it is a very technically cool thing.
I don't think the target market is existing bikers. The idea isn't that you "split lanes" trying to get places faster in a car-dominated environment, it's that you have a reasonable commute vehicle to use as a car replacement. Note that it was designed to have a windshield and roof (although this one doesn't seem to have the windows installed).
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#44Remember the last two-wheeled, gyro-stabilized future of transportation? The one that was largely a commercial flop, and which the company president ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Heselden ) _drove off a cliff_.
Or Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion car? It suffered a similar tragedy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_car#World.27s_Fair_acc...
The first picture in the Wired article shows the driver's unhelmeted head poking out of the roof above the rollbar. Prototype or not, how could the CEO even let a photo be taken of such an obvious safety flaw, let alone allow a journalist to take it for a test drive? Demonstrating a lax attitude towards safety is enough to scare off investors.
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#45Will this need redundant gyros? Otherwise isn't it too risky if one blows out while you are driving?
I would hope that in case of a gyro failure the computer would stop listening to the gyros, display a warning light on the dashboard, and you'd be able to bring it to a stop based on the same principles that keep a normal bike upright. You might have to dump it on its side when it comes to a stop, but you shouldn't have to spin off. The dangers of that are roughly similar to a blowout in a normal car, momentary but n…
It's a gyro-wheel not a gyro-sensor.
The angular momentum of the wheels is what keeps it upright (laterally). This is different to the Segway which used the motors to control the forward-backward tilt with position input from a gyro (actually an accelerometer)
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#46And the past too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrocar
The first one was commissioned in 1912? Sounds like it would have been a great opportunity for Lit to actually release it this year... They won't miss the mark by much, though.
No wait, scratch that, just looked up the word "commissioned"... So if they release it in 1914, they'll have hit the nail straight on. Good on them!
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#47All the seating and cargo capacity of a motorcycle, with the visibility of a car! There's no way in hell I'd split lanes on that thing; when I'm on my motorcycle, I have no obstructions and can see all around me, and definitely know where the edges of my bike are. This looks like a low-slung claustrophobic nightmare. Even if it is a very technically cool thing.
Yeah, I thought, ditch the body work and it might be cool.
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#48Reminds me of the Sinclair C5... and looks equally dangerous on a road which also features real cars.
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#49It's kind of weird that they called it the C1, given that BMW came out with a similar vehicle (minus the gyros), also named the C1, years ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_C1
This thing looks technologically very neat, but I don't see a point. It has all of the disadvantages of a motorcycle (small, vulnerable, noisy, non-intuitive steering, rounded tires that wear flat in the center quickly, unstable when sliding), combined with all of the disadvantages of a car (too wide to lane split, poor visibility due to low height and roof pillars, cost).
I notice that it uses hub-centered steering. While nifty, it doesn't give a very good turning radius, which is another key advantage of a motorcycle in the city. Swingarm-style hub centered steering solves two problem inherent to traditional fork designs (front-end dive during braking, which alters the geometry and reduces suspension travel, and static friction), but introduces a host of other problems (complexity, joints that need lubrication, cost, limited turning radius). Through constant iteration, motorcycle forks have reached a stage of development (see nitride coating and now 'diamond' coating) where it's unlikely that any competing design will ever win.
As a motorcyclist of 18 years, If it's too wide to lane split, then I see no advantage. Then again, Can Am seems to be selling well enough, which boggles my mind: http://en-us.spyder.brp.com/home.aspx
If someone wants the convenience of a two-wheeler without the stability and steering issues, then a simpler idea like the Piaggio MP3 is probably the ideal mix of practicality, complexity, and cost: http://www.piaggiousa.com/innovation.html
Re: This Is the Gyro-Stabilized, Two-Wheeled Future of Transportation
#50All the seating and cargo capacity of a motorcycle, with the visibility of a car! There's no way in hell I'd split lanes on that thing; when I'm on my motorcycle, I have no obstructions and can see all around me, and definitely know where the edges of my bike are. This looks like a low-slung claustrophobic nightmare. Even if it is a very technically cool thing.
I don't think the target market is existing bikers. The idea isn't that you "split lanes" trying to get places faster in a car-dominated environment, it's that you have a reasonable commute vehicle to use as a car replacement. Note that it was designed to have a windshield and roof (although this one doesn't seem to have the windows installed).
I don't think they'll tap any market but motorcycle drivers. The cost -- even their lowered "target" cost of 16k -- will put you in a car of sorts (either a city car or a used one). I sincerely doubt anyone who can afford a four-wheeled alternative would consider this. It's just too small and too dangerous.
Also, the gyroscopes will keep you upright even if you're hit? Yeah right. Let's see how that works out when an SUV hits you at 60.
If it were way cooler -- and remember a Ducati, BWM, or just about any premium bike can be had for under 16k already -- I might consider it as a motorcycle driver. But like the OP said I would feel less safe in it because it's lower to the ground and has much less visibility.