transportation

Tokyo Goes Star Wars With Lightsaber Railings in Trains

September 23, 2011 By noemi Leave a Comment

Lightsaber Railings

In the more developed countries, people probably take trains for granted. After all, spending hours everyday on trains going to and from work can easily get one immune to the surroundings. It’s just a matter of convenience, really. More so, with all the mobile gadgets that most people have today (not to mention connectivity practically anywhere you may be), the train’s features may be the last thing that you pay attention to during your daily commute.

In Tokyo, however, the trains have just undergone an upgrade that will get the attention of even the most jaded of people: lightsaber railings.[Read More]

Motorized Hammock: The Ultimate Lazy Guy’s Mode of Transpo

April 29, 2011 By noemi 1 Comment

And I thought I was lazy! I am the last person you can expect to ask you to take a walk. Heck, if I could fit into those little trolleys for kids at the mall, I would rent one so I wouldn’t have to walk around. If I can do things the easy way (i.e., not walk), then I would.

Reading about “The American Dream,” a project by Stephen Shaffer and his friends. The American Dream is a hammock which you can use to get around – not only in your backyard, but practically anywhere in town! Using The American Dream, you do not have to walk or drive a car – which can also be a hassle for some people. Instead, you just lie there as if you were enjoying the scenery at a tropical beach. It doesn’t matter – you are in a hammock, the most relaxing thing ever made. DIY at its best!

If you didn’t know, the hammock was invented by the Mayans eons ago. Stephen and his friends took it upon themselves to make an improvement on the hammock by putting it up on wheels. They threw in an Arduino micro-controller and used a PS2 controller for the navigation system. The chassis is from a wheelchair.

See, this thing is not only convenient (although it does take time and effort to build), but it also helps in the battle for the environment by using recycled materials! Here’s the hammock in action, plus some details about its creation. By the way, you have space for some luggage in the back. And that Red Bull trailing behind the hammock tells us that this was created for a Red Bull-sponsored competition. Thumbs up, boys!

American dream, Making the segway look like hard work from vimeo user on Vimeo.

Possibly the Ugliest Bike You’ll Ever See

February 4, 2011 By noemi Leave a Comment

There are innovations that are real works of genius that you are left speechless – in a good way. Then there are those things that are supposed to be innovations and also leave you speechless, but only because you can’t say anything else but WTF. Pardon me, but that is exactly what went in my head the moment I laid my eyes on the StreetFlyer.

The StreetFlyer is supposed to be the latest thing in recreational sports, and it will allow you to fly like a bird without taking off the ground. Why anyone would want to fly like a bird and stay grounded at the same time does not make a lick of sense to me. Do you get it? Here is the StreetFlyer in action. Maybe someone can make sense out of it.

To be fair to the creator, Dr. Carsten Mehring, he conceptualized the idea with people who may have an aversion to heights or flying in mind. Then again, I think that if you have that fear, then you might be better off spending your time playing with a simulator. Maybe I am being too harsh, so let’s take a look at several more photos of the StreetFlyer.
She looks as if she were thinking “What the heck am I doing?”
She may be smiling, but she doesn’t look comfortable. Not at all.
This position seems workable, but then you do not need a bike that will give you the illusion of being a bird (when you’re strapped onto a three-wheeled contraption), do you?

Do you want more? Visit the homepage of StreetFlyer.