Ford Motor Co has unveiled a concept e-bike that’s run off the Android mobile operating system. Commanded by a Samsung Galaxy S II that controls the suspension and monitors the battery charge. The electric motor is inside the front hub (front wheel drive!?!) and powered by a 9.2Ah battery. Or, you can just pedal it, putting the power to the pedals on a belt driven system. Because it’s run on Android, theoretically you could put the same app on any device running it and simultaneously run Google Maps, etc.
The bike is purely concept, but it provides a nice glimpse of things to come. Via Engadget.
Claiming to be the first complete bicycle made by 3D printing. It’s created by fusing 1/10th millimeter thick layers of nylon powder, a technique also used in satellite construction. Designed by Andy Hawkins and Chris Turner at the Aerospace Innovation Centre in Bristol, UK, and is supposedly strong as steel. Via Inhabitat.
Panasonic’s Evolta robot has been pushed to do some pretty incredible things given its diminutive stature, as shown in the video below, but this year is the toughest. On October 23 (and probably the 24th, too), it’ll compete in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. How it got its qualifying slot is a murky issue, but it’ll be there. Three separate robots have been tuned to perform each of the three legs. The swim bot will only use its arms to pull through the water as that was deemed most efficient. The bike and run bots were tuned to balance power usage and speed.
