Wearable motorcycle

The transportation program at the Art Center College of Design has produced legendary car designers, including BMW chief of design Chris Bangle and Henrik Fisker, the creator of the Fisker Karma electric supercar. But this year, after professor Bumsuk Lim’s inaugural motorcycle-design class, the buzz is all about bikes, especially Jake Loniak’s exoskeleton motorcycle concept Deus Ex Machina.

At Ease: Once the bike is parked, the rider can strap it on like a suit. Nick Kaloterakis; design © Jake Loniak at Art Center College of Design; no reproduction or redistribution without prior written consent

Actually, to call Deus a “motorcycle” is a bit of a stretch. 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). “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.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Deus exists only in a few deceptively realistic computer illustrations, but Loniak is confident that it can be built. “I believe a working prototype could be made, but it would take a great deal of time and engineering,” he says. The basic technology already exists; the Watertown, Massachusetts, start-up A123 is already selling the lithium-ion batteries Loniak wants to use, and a number of companies are developing ultracapacitors for electric cars and hybrids. “This isn’t fantasy,” he says. “It’s a green vehicle, and all of the numbers are based in the real world.”

Read More

its Dodge electric

Not to be outdone by GM's Chevy Volt hoopla last week, Chrysler today revealed three prototypes from its own electric-car program earlier today on CNBC. Who knew Chrysler had an electric-car program? Practically no one. But the company calls it ENVI, pronounced "envy," and the first consumer product from the program could appear as early as 2010.

Each of the cars revealed are electric-drive vehicles, one of which is an all-electric sports car with more than just a visual connection to the Tesla Roadster. It's called the Dodge EV, and by the looks of it, Dodge has appropriated the body and chassis of the Lotus Europa, a mid-engine GT car not sold in the U.S. Chrysler isn't discussing where it got the rolling stock, but it is talking about the drive system. The two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive speedster is powered by a 200 kW (268 horsepower) electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery, and an integrated power controller. The electric-drive motor produces 480 pound-feet of torque, which can take the Dodge EV from zero to 60 mph in less than five seconds, on to a top speed of more than 120 mph.

The other two vehicles -- the Chrysler EV minivan and the Jeep EV Wrangler four-door -- share a similar powertrain setup as the Chevrolet Volt. That is, an electric motor drives the wheels and a small gas engine is assigned to charging the batteries as needed, and providing enough power to extend the cars' electric range. Like Chevrolet, Chrysler isn't calling these cars hybrids (though most engineers refer to such systems as "series hybrid") -- rather they're "range-extended electric vehicles."

Chrysler says it intends to bring at least one of the electric-drive vehicles to market by 2010 to consumers in North America, and later in Europe.

Read More

Lamborghini - nokia cellphone

Nokia and Lamborghini have teamed up to create the limited edition Lamborghini Nokia 8800 Sirocco cellphone. Expect features like the 262k color TFT scratch-resistant display, a 2 megapixel camera, 128MB of internal memory, and Bluetooth connectivity to remain along with cosmetic changes like specially made Lamborghini ball bearings which are used in the slider mechanism. Additional bonuses include a range of Lamborghini themes and ring tones as well as a video documentary. This limited run will see just 500 handsets available worldwide, adding to its already sky high desirability.

Read More