Join DIY electric bicycle comes with three power modes
Bicycles are supposed to be a healthy mode of transport to help you get around from one point to the other without emitting any more greenhouse gases than you should, while helping you break a sweat so that you can burn off that Whopper from Burger King you had for lunch earlier in the day. Well, sometimes you might feel too tired to cycle all the way back – which is where an electric bicycle comes in handy, as that particular mode of transport will have a small motor to ferry you across those steep uphill slopes as you take a break.
A designer from Ventura, California, recently came up with his very own home-built electric bicycle that will come with not one, but three power modes. This enables the rider to select from pedal-assist, pure electric motor or standard biking whenever he/she is on the road.
Known as the eCortina v2, this electric bicycle that could will run on a 48 volt lithium polymer battery system, where it ought to deliver up to 15 miles of range although Prince, the inventor, hopes to throw in even more batteries so that the range can be further extended to 23 miles.
Prince also did mention that his eCortina v2 that comes with a 3 speed rear-hub for gear optimization, and radio controlled, brushless magneto-electric motors, will tip the scales at around 60 pounds thereabouts. Despite the weight (and if you take into consideration the rider’s weight as well), the eCortina v2 is able to hit a rather impressive top speed of 45 miles per hour.
The eCortina v2 is for sale at the moment. Too bad there is only one of its kind at the moment, and Prince is still mulling over how much the price of his bicycle is going to be. Do you think he is better off selling his idea to someone who has the resources to churn out the eCortina v2 on a large scale?
Could myCopter give us the age of flying cars at last?
Another day, another flying car. Yes, we have covered flying cars like the Terrafugia Transition before, and the Transition has just received clearance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
So are we really prepared for an era of flying cars, otherwise known as Personal Air Vehicles (PAVs)? That depends on whether or not people are going to be responsible flyers. Yeah, right. Do we really think that air-related injuries won’t spike exponentially with the advent of PAVs?
After all, I can easily see a group of teenagers out on a joyride and crash a flying car. Or a guy who has had too much to drink kill several people because of an FUI (Flying Under the Influence). Or some guy who forgot to check his gas gauge and plumets from the sky, putting a permanent crater in his town. Hit the jump to read the myCopter solution.
Continue reading » Could myCopter give us the age of flying cars at last?
The airport of 2050 could actually be more efficient
I think we all know that air travel is getting a little more uncomfortable every year, and I think we all know that is going to get worse.
In fact, a recent statistic has shown that it will increase from 6.5 million passengers per day to 44 million per day by the year 2050. Fortunately, aerospace giant EADS is teamed with a European tech consulting firm Altran to create a more efficient airport.
It was recently shown off at the Paris Air Show, and the video after the jump shows off the new system, the “friend-lean”. Yes, that seems to imply that we are leaning on each other, but this is not how they are hoping to resolve the coming problem of airport overcrowding.
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Dr Who Ride On Dalek
Dr Who fans, here is something you might want to get your for kids – especially if they have yet to find the same love as you for the TV series. Supposing you fork out £199.99 for this Dr Who Ride On Dalek, which hopefully, will make them see what a cool parent you are, and turning their allegiance from Glee to a much more serious TV series.
This Dalek body is composed from a mixture of ballistic nylon/laminated rubberised polyvinyl which is soft and tactile to the touch. Basically, getting around in this Ride On Dalek shouldn’t leave any doubts in your mind – it is very durable, structurally safe, tear resistant and easy to inflate and assemble. Standing tall at 128cm with 360 degree movement, the Dr Who Ride On Dalek boasts of 10 sounds and phrases, lights within so that you need not ride in the dark, a 6v rechargeable battery, and a maximum speed of 3km per hour – this makes sure wayward kids who are thinking of using this as an escape ride won’t go very far.
Pedal Powered School Bus ready to combat childhood obesity
I believe that I have said it before, but children have all this energy that adults actually need. I figure that you might as well tap into that energy in this pedal powered school bus!
This bus, powered by Flintstones Kids technology, is made in the Netherlands by De Cafe Racer. It has room for about ten kids, and they will be put to work.
Oh man, this would solve so many problems with unruly kids on the schools bus! Just try and make those spitballs now, junior! Yeah, those kids should have both hands on the handlebars.
Continue reading » Pedal Powered School Bus ready to combat childhood obesity
Volkswagen semi-autonomous hands-free driving system introduced
Wait a minute here – did I read it correctly? Is Volkswagen’s semi-autonomous hands-free driving system supposed to help you get around in your vehicle while keeping your hands free to do something else? The answer is in the affirmative, where Volkswagen has dubbed their new system as the Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP), where it will link between existing driver assist technologies and completely automated vehicles. You as the driver have a role to play – monitoring the system, but at least TAP paves the way for semi-automatic driving on a highway at speeds of up to 130 km/h (80 mph).
You won’t find a driverless car here, but TAP will merge automatic driving assisting technologies that are already in place, alongside semi-automatic functions which require constant monitoring by you, the driver.
TAP is capable of controlling the car’s speed, making sure it maintains a safe distance from other vehicles, while dropping its speed right before a bend. Apart from that, it will also ensure that your vehicle’s central position is retained with respect to lane markers. Needless to say, TAP can be deactivated at any time in case an emergency arises. Despite it being semi-autonomous, that doesn’t mean you can now take off both eyes from the road and play around on your iPhone instead.
Do you happen to look forward to these kinds of driving systems in the future, or do you prefer to remain firmly behind the wheel? We guess that most folks would want to stick with the latter, since humans love to be in control, unless you’re this extremely busy executive who cannot afford a driver. We say stick to the driver – most of them double up as bodyguards anyways on your payroll, so why not get the extra protection? It isn’t as though such smarter vehicles have the IQ of K.I.T.T. in the Knight Rider series…
Jabra EASYCALL headset launched on AT&T stores exclusively
Jabra has been right there from the very beginning where Bluetooth headsets are concerned, I remember the extremely early days when colored displays on cell phones were just starting to proliferate, while those wearing Bluetooth headsets were seen to be like Borg walking on earth. Well, while colored displays on handsets are a given these days, it can still be quite hard to get used to those wearing Bluetooth headsets despite it being rather common.
This means the Bluetooth headset market is alive and kicking, and Jabra is making more than enough money to continue rolling out newer models. Their latest release would be the Jabra EASYCALL headset that is available exclusively at AT&T retail stores and online from today onwards. The EASYCALL is so named because it boasts of easy-to-use, intuitive controls, where it will be accompanied by the Jabra CRUISER2, which by itself is a popular in-car speakerphone that boasts of voice controls and superior sound for hands-free calling on the road, making it a whole lot safer to drive and carry out a conversation simultaneously.
Continue reading » Jabra EASYCALL headset launched on AT&T stores exclusively
SuperTooth HD Bluetooth speakerphone
The SuperTooth HD Bluetooth speakerphone is touted by the manufacturer themselves to be the most advanced model of its kind in the market – anyone out there willing to dispute that claim? It is said that the SuperTooth HD Bluetooth speakerphone has three times the power compared to other models, while letting you communicate across social networks using nothing but just voice commands – hopefully the algorithm is smart enough to serve the needs of non-native English speakers, too.
Among the features of the SuperTooth HD features would include twin speaker V Array technology that comprises of a couple of 2.5 watt speakers and a 5.4 watt amplifier, emitting high-fidelity audio in the process. The built-in dual microphones are capable of picking up voices even more clearly, while the anti echo and DSP control for noise cancellation makes sure you get to communicate the with person on the other end in a crystal clear manner.
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