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Yamaha Deus Ex Wearable Motorcycle Concept
Yamaha's 'Deus Ex' wearable motorcycle concept could provide you with the opportunity to just strap on your transportation.
“It’s like riding two skateboards at once, but stable, because the machine supports the rider’s body,” Loniak explains. These two skateboards, however, would be powered by lithium-ion batteries and ultracapacitors and capable of hitting 75 mph. “I never envisioned this as a commuter,” he says. “This is a sport bike.”
It would stand vertically when parked, so that the rider can step in and strap the bike on like a full-body suit. A computer would interpret the rider’s body movements, translate those into directional commands for the motorcycle, and steer the bike using 36 pneumatic muscles (artificial muscles made by the German company Festo that inflate or deflate to change the direction).
(Yamaha deus ex wearable motorcycle concept)
Although you probably won't want to race to the death right away on your Yamaha Deus Ex, you can still watch how it's done in this excerpt from the movie Tron, which also features a kind of strap-on vehicle.
(Tron Lightcycles video)
See additional references in the Deus Ex comments. From Popular Science and Hell for Leather; thanks to Moira for writing in with the story and the reference.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/10/2008)
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