In case you're a little like me and the prospect of bike commuting in a densely urban environment seems slightly intimidating, you might be in luck. In the future, you'll be able to slide into a human-sized plastic tube, recline and pedal yourself to work along a monorail system. Yes. Really.
The idea for a human monorail stemmed, unsurprisingly from a recreational setup in Rotorua, New Zealand. There, visitors could get into a velodrome racetrack consisting of clear plastic pods that move forward with recumbent cycling. Participants can pedal madly against each other, trying to win the adventure ride. Now the company behind the ride, Shweeb, is turning it into a public commuter monorail option.
This month, Google invested a million dollars as part of its Project 10^100, which sought ideas on how to change the world and help as many people as possible. The Shweeb project is "for short to medium distance, urban personal transport, using human-powered vehicles on a monorail." The Google investment is to fund research into testing Shweeb's technology for an urban environment.
Shweeb is apparently the first human-powered monorail in existence. Inventor Geoff Barnett got the idea while in Tokyo, wishing he had a quicker and safer way to get around the city. His system uses pods locked inside an enclosed track that work efficiently with low resistance. The pods have seats that recline at 20 degrees, ventilation holes and roofs that reflect the sun.
While the human monorail is no human-electric hybrid vehicle, it does boast similar advantages, including being a useful way to stay in shape and operating on human power. Plus, it can go faster than I can on my bike...so far. Riders on the Shweeb have reached at least 30 miles per hour, although the company thinks the speed could be up to nearly 44 miles per hour on a longer straightaway.
Still, my inner strap hanger has some serious questions about the feasibility of this setup for public transportation. I wondered what would happen if someone has trouble pedaling, especially uphill, but the company's track in New Zealand has an electric escalator that can kick in and help riders up an incline. I once got stuck in the middle of a manual Tyrolean traverse and my arms were so sore afterward it hurt to wash my face. Wish that system had an electric backup.
As far as those concerned about having disabilities, plans are in the works for two-seater pods, which could be one option. The adventure ride is equipped with shock absorbers, allowing pods to come together and form a chain. As a commuter, however, I probably wouldn't want someone else shoving me along. If you're feeling particularly out of shape, it might be comforting to know that the pods don't have a weight limit. Shweeb is going to build a human monorail intended for public transit, but the company hasn't announced the location yet.
According to the company, the name is derived from the German word for float, "schweben." I'll set aside the fact that Shweeb rhymes with "dweeb" since a human monorail could certainly make the daily commute more exciting.
Here's a video of the human monorail in action, complete with accents from down under:
Photo: Shweeb's human monorail in action at an adventure park in New Zealand. Credit: Shweeb, Inc.
Tags: Alternative Power Sources, Bicycles, Design, Green Tech, Transportation
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