Artificial muscle as shock absorber
Engineers are working on intelligent materials that can diminish vibrations and extract power from the environment. These electro-active elastomers could dampen annoying vibrations in a car, for...
View ArticleState-mandated planning, higher resident wealth linked to more sustainable...
Transportation practices tend to be more environmentally friendly in wealthier metropolitan areas located within states that mandate comprehensive planning, new research suggests.
View ArticleIsraeli inventor has backers for cardboard bicycle
(Phys.org)—Don't tell Izhar Gafni that a bicycle can't be made of cardboard. An Israeli engineer working in industrial design, he was always fascinated by the potential that comes from the interplay of...
View ArticleBluetooth-enabled bicycle has automatic gearbox
(Phys.org)—Oh, no. Not another reason to count your smartphone blessings? To feel so lucky to have a phone loaded with accelerometer and GPS? Oh, yes. Engineers at UK-based Cambridge Consultants have...
View ArticleBikes share space with cars at Detroit auto show
Transportation of the two-wheeled variety is sharing the floor at the Detroit auto show with the latest cars, trucks and concept vehicles, a nod to the potential marketing boost that bikes may offer...
View Article3-D software key to designing many of today's consumer products
While developing an electric bicycle for his San Rafael, Calif., company, Marcus Hays had planned to insert a battery into one of the bike's supporting tubes. But then he did an analysis of his concept...
View ArticleUltra-precision positioning
A novel rotary actuator provides greater torque, accuracy, and speed.
View ArticleDesigner has DIY kit for turning objects into UAVs
(Phys.org) —When an independent designer comments that his interest is "in taking stuff away from the computer screen" and finding ways to interact with information in more interesting ways, then it is...
View ArticleBangkok designers draw attention for air-purifying bike idea
(Phys.org) —Some observers are calling it "the photosynthesis bike." The bike of interest is only a concept, not even a prototype yet, from designers in Bangkok. Nonetheless, in concept alone, it has...
View ArticleThe 'bricycle' dilemma - to steer or balance?
(Phys.org) —When you were learning to ride a bicycle you thought gravity was your enemy, trying to make you fall over. But without gravity, you wouldn't be able to steer, say Cornell engineers. To...
View ArticleExplainer: How do cyclists reach super fast speeds?
Even though spoked wheels and pneumatic tyres were invented in the 1880s, bicycle design hasn't really changed a great deal in the time since – at least, at face value. However, look closer and around...
View ArticleCommuting by bicycle: Why the Irish aren't like the Dutch—yet
Cities around the world are pouring money into beautiful bicycle paths in hopes of convincing citizens to drive less and bike more. According to a new study in the Journal of Public Policy &...
View ArticleDutch launch 'intelligent bicycle' that warns of danger
The Netherlands on Monday launched its first-ever "intelligent bicycle", fitted with an array of electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad...
View ArticleNew techniques stretch carbon nanotubes, make stronger composites
(Phys.org)—Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed new techniques for stretching carbon nanotubes (CNT) and using them to create carbon composites that can be used as stronger,...
View Article'Homeless' Airbnb founder hails sharing economy
On any given night, up to 60,000 people stay in places they found on Airbnb. One of them is always the guy who co-founded the fast-growing online travel lodging service.
View ArticleTin nanocrystals for the battery of the future
(Phys.org) —More powerful batteries could help electric cars achieve a considerably larger range and thus a breakthrough on the market. A new nanomaterial for lithium ion batteries developed in the...
View ArticleDutch duo peddle old bikes as fashion, furniture
Two Dutch entrepreneurs have found a novel way to make money out of the thousands of bicycles abandoned in the Netherlands each year, by turning them into designer fashion items and furniture.
View ArticleLife-changer or death sentence? Madrid's electric bikes
Politicians say Madrid's shared electric bicycle scheme, due to launch this month, can change the lives of citizens—but others warn it will put their lives in danger.
View ArticleRiders whizz round Madrid in new electric bike-hire
Riders whizzed up and down Madrid's sunny avenues on white electric bikes on Monday as the Spanish capital launched its first shared-bicycle scheme.
View ArticleMore cycling with e-bikes
According to a new study, electric bikes make people cycle longer and more often. The effect is best on women.
View ArticleBetter signs could help reduce friction between motorists, bicyclists
A simple change in the wording of a traffic sign - from "Share the Road" to "Bicycles May Use Full Lane" - could help clarify the rules of the road for bicyclists and motorists, according to a North...
View ArticleThe mysterious biomechanics of riding – and balancing – a bicycle
Humans have been riding bicycle-like machines for close to 200 years, beginning with the Draisine or "velocipede" in 1817.
View Article'Pioneer' commuters go electric in polluted Mexico City
Martin Vazquez glides silently through the pandemonium of rush hour in Mexico City, drives his sky-blue scooter up to a charging station and plugs it in.
View ArticleChina scrambles to tame bike chaos
A booming rental bike business has flooded China's streets with packs of cyclists, but their habit of going the wrong way and abandoning their rides anywhere is causing havoc.
View ArticleRecycled office chairs transformed into hard-shell backpacks and bicycle...
Old office chairs are being transformed into hard-shell backpacks and bicycle panniers as part of an innovative new project.
View ArticleAre the policies of promoting bicycle use socially profitable?
A study carried out by the research group Applied Economics & Management, which is based at the University of Seville, has included a Cost-benefit Analysis that estimates that the socio-economic...
View ArticleParis city bikes go electric
Ten years after Paris launched the wildly popular Velib bicycle-sharing scheme, the grey two-wheelers that have spawned imitators worldwide are getting a makeover.
View ArticleBicycles reacting to speed for stable cycling
A Dutch consortium including the University of Twente developed an electrical bicycle that prevents elderly people from falling. The smart assistive bicycle, called SOFIE, increases stability by via...
View ArticleElectric bike crackdown spurs delivery worker concern
Cheap, electric bicycles have made life a lot easier for New York City's legions of restaurant delivery workers, but the party may be over in the New Year.
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