Urban Transport
Embrio One-Wheel Concept
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This hydrogen fuel cell powered, gyroscopically balanced, one-wheeled recreational and commuting vehicle provides an extraordinary vision of the kind of personal transport we could be using 20 years from now. Read More
Clean and Silent two-wheelers of the future from Yamaha
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Monday November 3, 2003: Yamaha Motor Company displayed a range of five "Clean and Silent" prototype electrical two-wheelers at the Tokyo Show last week. Most significantly, Yamaha showed a machine which is arguably unlike any two-wheeler seen to date - the Dolsa Wind. Read More
BUSHPIG 20mph Motorised Skateboard
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UPDATED March 2005 Somewhere between a mini-motorcycle and a motorised-skateboard lies the Wheelman Bushpig, a new form of motorised transport that utilises motor and frame supported at each end by a spokeless wheel into which feet can be inserted whilst standing upright. The use of wheels without axles not only adds to the intriguing design but also provides a very low centre of gravity , strength and a significant saving in weight as well as giving you somewhere to put your feet. Check out the new video of the BUSHPIG in action inside! Read More
Motorised, full-suspension swing-arm scooter
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Wednesday July 23, 2003: The F18 swing-arm scooter adds twin-suspension to motorised scooter design with 50mm of travel on the front and a mono spring providing 90mm travel on the rear. A 24-volt electric motor reaches a maximum speed of approximately 20kmh and the F18 can cover 15km on a single battery charge. Read More
Honda's 750 scooter concept with CVT and electric roof
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The product of several ongoing trends in the two-wheeled arena, Honda's concept Elysium is futuristic all-weather mega-scooter.Yamaha started it all with the 250 Majesty, Suzuki followed with a 400 scooter, Yamaha went to the T-Max 500 and Suzuki countered with the Suzuki 650 Bergman we tested in Gizmo 5.Honda's new concept continues the capacity creep for scooters of recent years and trumps them all, being powered by a liquid-cooled 4-stroke flat-4 engine with a low center of gravity and plenty of grunt. Read More
Futuristic 650 Scooter
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It's a scooter to look at, but the 650cc, fuel-injected motor and electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission of the Suzuki Burgman offer far more than the styling would suggest... Read More
5-in-1 Mambo X
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The Mambo X P353SD is a 5-in-1 multi-function digital device with inbuilt 20GB or 30GB storage - enough for more than 30,00 photos or around 13,000 songs... Read More
Solar Challenge car to form basis of Ultra-commuter
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The UltraCommuter concept is an ultra-light weight, solar powered commuter vehicle specifically designed to meet Australian urban transport requirements. Read More
Buggy Rollin': Full-body in-line skating
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Buggy Rollin' is a fledgling sport that takes in-line skating to the extreme by adding wheels to a full-body armature so that every possible point of contact between you and the ground is covered. Read More
Aerorider: Fully-Enclosed electric-assist bicycle
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Aerorider is an urban commuting solution that cheats wind, rain and traffic to provide a low-cost, environmentally friendly mode of transport. When using the electric motor to assist pedalling, the single-person Aerorider can achieve speeds of 45 kmh... Read More
Sit-down skateboarding at speed
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The Body-Cart is an ergonomically designed, motorised, three-wheeled full-body skateboard capable of covering 70km on a single tank of fuel at speeds up to 28kmh. Read More
Kangoo Jumps: trampolines for your feet
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Evoking images of astronauts bounding across the surface of the moon, Kangoo Jumps are low impact rebound sport shoes designed to provide a safe platform for jogging and other exercises that are notoriously hard on the joints. The boots use a lightweight leaf-spring to absorb shocks due to impact on the ground and create a rebound effect that reduces shock impact on ankles, knees, hips and lower back by up to 60%.
Originally developed in Switzerland for joggers, Kangoo Jumps also provide benefits for athletic strengthening and conditioning, rehabilitation and injury prevention, group aerobics (renamed Kangoo'Robic by converts), games, or just plain fun.The unique floating sensation created by Kangoo Jumps has to be experienced to be understood.
The Jumps deliver the benefit of 50 minutes exercise in only 20 minutes and the injury prevention potential has already caught the attention of several elite football teams. The boots can be used indoors or outdoors on paved roads, dirt paths and grass as well as at the beach or on snow. Read More
Tami Rhino Motorised Off-road Skateboard
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The Tami Rhino motorised "mountainboard" takes skating into unchartered territory, adding a 33cc 1.7hp two-stroke engine and nine inch tyres to an over sized deck to create a stand-up ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) capable of speeds up to 35kmh... Read More
Hermes carving fuel cell three-wheeler
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It's not a car and it's not a motorcycle, in fact there's not yet a word to describe the type of vehicle envisioned by the Hermes; a three wheel self balancing concept manoeuvred by intuitive steering that redefines the sensation of single person transport... it offers low trajectory flight without leaving the bitumen. Read More
Benelli Car-Bike Hybrid offers best of both worlds
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The Benelli Adiva is one of the most interesting new concepts in personal transportation for many years - a two-wheeled cabriolet scooter offering more collision and weather protection than any other available two wheeler, yet all the parking, accessibility and agility advantages of a small motorcycle. In European cities, where parking and road space is limited, this type of car-scooter hybrid is beginning to get a lot of attention as commuters are exploring new, more convenient types of personal transport. Read More
High-Powered In-Line Skates
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In-line skating commuters may be joining motorists in petrol station queues with the introduction of Power Blades - a pair of aluminium frame in-line skates weighing a total of 7.2kg with a 22cc engine attached... Read More
Eco-Friendly Australian Concept
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The Skipee concept motorcycle is constructed from predominantly recycled materials and powered an electric engine housed in the rear wheel. Read More
Spidi Airbag Jacket
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The concept of airbags has saved many lives in car accidents but the inherent vulnerability of the motorcyclist is difficult to address. The recent introduction by Spidi of an airbagtype jacket is worth some consideration for those who wish to minimise the risks... Read More
SmartTire makes sense
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Another example of automotive technology bred on the racetrack, SmartTire is a tyre monitoring system that immediately alerts the driver of any drop in pressure via a dash-mounted display. Read More
Aprilia's Electric Assist Bicycle - sensible inner city commuter
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The prospect of testing an electrically-assisted bicycle appealed to no-one at Gizmo. A bicycle weighing 29kg is positively obese and the top speed of 27kmh can be achieved easily by most relatively fit humans. Yet, by the end of our two week test period, there wasn't a single person who rode it who didn't rave about the experience. The Enjoy is aptly named.The Aprilia Enjoy is the most convincing argument we've yet seen for hybrid vehicles. Elsewhere this issue you will read about Honda's latest concept cars which use a combination of electric and conventional power units. The Aprilia uses a combination of electricity and human power and until you feel the way in which the microprocessor blends the electric assist with one's own endeavours, you won't understand how compatible the two power sources are. Read More
BMW StreetCarver - high speed, high thrill, high cost skateboard
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July 2002 It looks like a skateboard but feels more like a snowboard. It costs between three and four times more than the previously most expensive skateboard.It is much larger than it looks, and it's heaps of fun. It is the BMW Streetcarver and it's one of the more bizarre brand extensions to come from the automotive segment in recent years, (see also the Chrysler Razor Concept Car and the Ford Tonka Truck) particularly given that the skateboard fraternity is hardcore, hard baked, irreverent and the US$695 price of the StreetCarver is a lot of money in any language. But the StreetCarver is not a normal skateboard. With the sport of snowboarding gaining instant legitimacy thanks to the winter Olympics, BMW's StreetCarver is reaching the market at exactly the right time. Though it gets its edge in a different way to a snowboard, it sweeps and carves in exactly the same way, and is an absolute hoot to ride. Read More
Electric Scooters reach viability as urban transport
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Once they were just environmentally friendly. Now they represent a very practical transport technology and when negligible running costs are factored in, a VERY affordable one too. We ride two of the first of this new breed and report on what's coming ... with links. Read More
