Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/693447
30 nJuly 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS torque, can go up to 80 mph and has a range of about 37 miles. The Light Rider was crafted on a 3D printer out of Scalmalloy, which is aircraft-grade aluminum that offers the strength of titanium. The frame weighs only 13 lbs., and was formed in a sin- gle structure from bionic algorithms based on "nature's design principles." In other words, there is no joining tubes or welding, and cables and lines are run through the frame parts. APWorks is taking pre-order deposits of 2,000 euros (approximately US$2,228 as of this writing) for the limited-edition Light Rider. Just think: for only 50,000 euros (US$55,692), you can be one of only 50 people in the world to own one! OK, with a touted acceleration of 0-28 mph in three seconds, it's not nearly on the level of Harley-Davidson's Project Livewire with its four-second 0-60 velocity. But we bet you'll still be the coolest kid on the block. Stupid smart Texting or talking while driv- ing has, over the past decade or so, become the bane of the motorcyclist's existence, and the resulting accidents from such a practice have prompted every one of the 50 U.S. states to pass and enforce legislation to pro- hibit using handheld devices. More recently, even motorcyclists have been guilty of this dangerous practice. In Italy, using smartphones while oper- ating a motor vehicle is a contribut- ing factor in 25 percent of accidents among young people. To help prevent such occurrences, Leo Burnett Italy ad agency and Powered by its own battery, the unicycle has its own suspension, sensors and everything that's needed to propel a vehicle such as this. But where would one use a unicycle? It's been suggested that the unicycle could be used for that "last-mile" commute to travel more easily through a dense- ly-populated urban area. What could go wrong? Going multi modal In the Batman comics and movie series, you may have seen the Batpod, a motorcycle that's transformed from the four-wheeled "Tumbler" when Batman is in trou- ble. In The Dark Knight, the Batpod is ejected out of the Tumbler's front end, with the two front wheels transforming into the front and rear wheels of the cycle. Well, Ford has decided to get in on the action by patenting a design that turns a four- wheeled hatchback into a unicycle. The "Self-Propelled Unicycle Engageable with Vehicle" patent is an invention where one of the car's wheels are removed and attached to a unicycle that's hidden in the trunk. Unlike the Batpod, the operator doesn't just push a button, rather, the car uses an automatic jack to allow the driver to manually detach the wheel, unplug the thing's electronics, and connect them to the SPUEWV (we sure hope Ford comes up with a snaz- zier acronym). Will that be paper or plastic? Last year, we reported on a com- pany that created a working proto- type of the motorcycle made on a 3D printer just to prove it could be done. The 250-pound bike had a 750-watt 1 hp motor, could reach speeds of only about 15 mph and ran just a few minutes. Now, APWorks, a unit of aircraft manufacturer Airbus, has cre- ated what it believes to be the world's lightest motorcycle. The all-electric Light Rider weighs only 77 lbs., has a 6 kw engine that produces 22 ft/lbs of Samsung have partnered with moto- cross racer Edo Mossi and a YouTuber, Matteo Bruno, to create a product called the Smart Windshield. The development group used a Tricity 125 scooter donated by Yamaha to proto- type the device, which includes a GPS navigator as well as a screen to display text messages, e-mails and phone calls. Although the system does not permit motorcyclists to answer (it is display only), it does allow them to send an automated "I'm driving" message. While Samsung reportedly hopes that this system will be "the future of safer riding for motorcyclists," we still wonder how constantly watching these displays is safer than just concentrating on the road. After all, there are apps that can automatically send messages when you're unavailable without requiring the rider to actually look at the source. Although this might work well for countries where low-speed urban scooters are the norm, we shudder to think what might happen if this con- cept ever makes it off the drawing board for use here in the U.S.