Bombardier's Embrio: Sexier Segway? 339
Ridgelift writes "Articles at Wired News, Popular Science, and Forbes are covering Bombardier's Embrio. It's a single-wheeled, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, gyroscopically balanced concept vehicle. While the Segway tops out at 6 mph, the Embrio 'hits 35 mph in the learning mode alone.' Very cool -- looks like something straight out of 'Minority Report.'"
Heavy (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Hope the power supply lasts (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Perfect... (Score:2, Interesting)
Why? (Score:5, Interesting)
But from the practical POV, this thing is a no-go. Anyone who ride motorbikes probably would agree. The mechanics of braking is none too gentle, and even if your bike has two wheels (and you on top, which is usually the case ;-), it can easily fight the gravity. And if anyone thinks that the riders of this Embrio will never exceed 30 mph, and will never need deceleration more than 1g, for example, they haven't learned a thing about humans :-) Fact is, humans tend to go as fast as they can, and as result they need to stop equally fast too.
Besides, what's the point? A motorbike (or a bicycle as its little brother) is already perfect. It exists pretty much unchanged for how much - 100 years? It's fun to ride, it's reliable, it's powerful (kW per pound ratio is good!), and it's small - so you can park it anywhere. You only shouldn't ride it in winter; but this Embrio is not any better traction-wise.
So again, why? Why exactly two wheels are bad? Why exactly it is so inherently evil to lose power and still be able to coast safely to a stop anywhere you choose? Why it is so bad to be able to brake hard when you have to? Why it is ungood to be able to fishtail on a wet road but still stay up & smiling? There is no such explanation in the article. My guess is, they made it because they could.
But as I said, the design is cool. Hydrogen fuel cell should be used in other vehicles (bikes #included). That would be good for the planet. But one wheel ... leave it for the circus.
Re:dupe? (Score:1, Interesting)
A La Maddox (Score:5, Interesting)
All I have to say is, BAM, third wheel!
Wow..Heinlein predicted this (Score:5, Interesting)
MESSAGE TO THE MODS (Score:2, Interesting)
The start of a new industrial revolution? (Score:5, Interesting)
Now you can design it in cad. Without even building a prototype you can test the handling inside a computer, then when your cad drawing is exactly how you want it, outsource the assembly it to a foriegn factory. Thanks to the lovely internet you can have your plans get there in hours. Changes can be made on the fly because workers have been replaced with robots. Japan is still ahead of the game in robotics, that's why I predict they will be the first to specialize in these types of "Just in time" assembly lines.
As reliable as current automotive robotics are, I think that we will see companies like Honda building entire factories filled with Asimo robots. Since the human body is designed so well for so many tasks, it makes sense for them to use humanoid robots for more general tasks like the current human population is used for today. Yes despite robots in factories now, we still need humans, but I don't think it will be too long before we have robots doing these tasks.
The bottom line to all this is once the ball gets rolling from these independant outfits like segway building vehicles, we'll see more variety on the road, and not just the gas guzzling oil dependant combustion vehicles we have today, but neat stuff like this self balancing unicycle.
This actually -is- OK (Score:5, Interesting)
This thing, however, addresses all my issues with the Segway: it's fast enough for the motorway and you can sit, reducing the strain on your knees.
If this thing takes off, it could reduce congestion and pollution caused by cars. That's almost utopian.
Safety improvement to segway (Score:4, Interesting)
Here is a monumental safety imporvement to any low speed scooter, like a balancing scooter [tlb.org], a segway [segway.com], or something else [xmission.com]:
Problem: In a low speed (under 15 mph) failure of the equipment, the passenger will continue to move forward after the vehicle has stopped. The safest and most reasonable thing for the passener to do when the vehicle halts is to step off the front. However the front handlebar of these scooters eliminate that option, and as noted by the first reference, and more publicly by Mr. Bush, you will be thrown down on your face.
Solution: Remove the front handlebar. You could implement the controls on a rear handlebar that wraps arround the sides of the rider. It would make the vehicle less natural to mount (you step into it backwards) but much safer to bail off of at speed. If this is unacceptable, (or if passangers need to be able to bail off of an out of control scooter without being run over by it), provide the controls above one or two handlebars on the sides of the vehicle.
Better Idea Forget the whole self balancing nonsense as proposed by the third reference. Tricycles, however, are very unstable when turning. Make a quadricycle with no stearing column or handlebars. Put a pressure sensing pad on the top - transfer of pressure in any direction indicates a desire to exprerience acceleration in the opposite direction. The rider only fails to communicate with the platform if she has lost her balance and her center of mass is no longer "over" the platform (with respect to gravity and any pseudo forces she is experiencing), i.e. when she has already comitted herself to falling off. The vehicle automatically stops when the platform is vacated.
Re:Why? (Score:3, Interesting)
Also, humans tend to drive at roads that are less than perfect. I would have nothing against driving this thingy on clean, dry asphalt or concrete, but add a few bumps in the road, some sand, water, or oil, and I think I prefer to stick to more stable, predictable vehicles. The gyro stabilizers would have to be pretty damn good for me to trust them in less than ideal driving conditions. And the big flat wheel and low weight on this thing probably starts hydroplaning at very low speeds. Furthermore, the design seems very stupid, where do you hold on? Where do you put your feet?
This is nothing but a photoshop creation that looks cool. While one-wheeled motorbikes may serve some purpose, such as being more easily stuffable in the back of your car, this creating seems just ridiculous.
Re:dupe? (Score:2, Interesting)
Bombardier? (Score:2, Interesting)
And yes - when it crashes (often) you have the reboot the train.
The bl**dy thing can't even be diesel shunted if it breaks, there's no way to get the brakes off - not even a hand valve.
This is also the train that went through a period of having dead multiple unit trains if they coupled two sets together that have different versions of the software as the inter-train interface presumably changed(!). Bombardier's answer was to require all units reload their software over radio every 24 hours. If the 24 hour period expires, brakes go on, you go nowhere.
At least it's failsafe - just rather more than one would hope.
Source of the above info - various guards and drivers who staff these things.
A Bagatelle (Score:4, Interesting)
This is frustratingly typical of what passes for journalism in this world. When you consider that the press is critical to the proper functioning of a democracy, it's frightening how really bad they are at their jobs. Between the general incompetence and some people's [foxnews.com] active efforts to skew the truth, it's a wonder we ever get anything right.
For instance, I'm pretty sure there are journalists who have had enough exposure to George W. Bush to have made an informed decision on this very important question: is he stupid, or is he malicious, or is it a combination of the two? But, we'll never hear the truth from these people, because their continued access to the White House, and hence their jobs, depend on them placidly following the scripts they are handed.
I don't know what can be done about this situation, but it's the kind of thing I had hoped the internet would help with, and so far [slashdot.org] there doesn't seem to be much improvement.
Oh, and by the way, Bombardier is a publicly-held company. The reason the Forbes writer couldn't find them on the NYSE or NASDAQ is that they have the temerity to list their shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Re:A La Maddox (Score:2, Interesting)