The Shweeb is a Pedal-Powered Monorail system that is "a direct response to the transportation needs of today and the future." Each capsule holds a single rider who has to pedal in order to get from point A to point B and let you go much faster than a bicycle. The seat adjusts to your exact height and is as comfortable as a hammock. It exists right now, you can find it at an amusement park in New Zealand(Feel the adrenalin kick in as you fly around curves swinging out 60 degrees! You soar 4m above the pond and then miss the ground by inches!). "Our proposal to get you safely and quickly from one point in the city to another would be to elevate you onto a network of interconnected monorails where you never have to stop at traffic lights. The ideal vehicle for such a system already exists. Fully faired recumbent cycles, because of their low aerodynamic resistance, are breaking all bicycle speed records and currently reaching speeds of 90 kph (56 mph) in sprints. Suspending these comfortable and highly efficient machines from monorail tracks has the added advantage of taking away the rolling resistance of pneumatic tyres. Trains of Shweebs can further reduce the aero drag ¨C ten people travelling at 40 kph will each have a lot less work to do than a single rider at the same speed. A single rider requires only a fraction of the energy to achieve the same speed as a normal cyclist ¨C thanks to the significant reductions in both aero drag and tire friction. The vehicle is completely weatherproof, you can¡¯t derail or fall out while on the cellphone or blackberry!" Check out watch the video of it in action.
I see they have branched out to the UK - the www.shweeb.co.uk site (corporate) talks a lot more about the non-racing applications. Kinda interesting...
#2 Post by pete, on Fri Jul 24 2009 1:11 AM
I see they have branched out to the UK - see www.shweeb.co.uk which has more info on their transit claims...
#3 Post by Antoninus, on Fri Jul 24 2009 3:53 PM
I dont think this is a very good system. Its a neat IDEA, but the execution is rather poor.
1. What happens if you end up behind someone going slower than you?
2. How do you keep the capsules cool? They have air holes but they're still going to get massively hot with all the pedaling and direct sun.
3. What about cargo? These tubes dont look like they've got much room for carrying cargo.
4. What if you're commute is MILES away? Unless you are a regular biker or have the conditioning, thats going to be a difficult ride.
#4 Post by Micah, on Mon Jul 27 2009 11:58 PM
Antoninus, those are some good thoughts, but how about being constructive. What are your ideas?
#5 Post by luke, on Thu Aug 6 2009 5:36 AM
gimmicky shit.
there's no magic bullet for sustainable future transport, and there's a reason only a few of these capsules exist in some theme park in new zealand - that's where they belong. as a new zealader, the country has been doing everything to avoid investing in rail, cycle, and other transport alternatives to the US WWII motorway model.
the critiques by antonius are totally valid. you need flexible systems that can carry cargo, that you can bring your kids with you, that can travel long distances and carry high densities of people. a mix of metro, light rail, cycleways, and high-speed rail for intercity travel covers a lot of these requirements.
#6 Post by t.rex, on Tue Sep 1 2009 5:50 PM
http://www.healthesmoke.webatu.com
A solar powered, human ASSISTED monorail would be a more viable design.As noted there are problems with heat dissipation,slower moving cars and lack of cargo space in THIS design.
#7 Post by Haydee, on Sat Sep 26 2009 12:45 AM
Perhaps this is not for everywhere, but I could imagine this in parks in northern regions for cycling enthusiasts. You could start off inside a building, then cycle out of doors through an opening in the side of the building,then return through another opening, kind of like at a healthy roller coaster.
