Get around by biking in the sky

Love it. I have only dreamed of such things.

this an awesome system til I am stuck behind a lollygagger out for a sky stroll. how do you create a multiuser system that enables free movement?

Highly impractical with very limited application. You think getting stuck behind a Q-Tip in the left lane doing 45 MPH with their blinker flashing is annoying now? Try getting stuck behind a slow pedaler and being forced to push them along the way. Or somebody has a coronary on the bike in front of you...

If you check out their website at skyridetechnology.com, you'll see that they are actually developing a multi-track system with lane-changing capabilities.

I have seen a similar overhead I beam design that used pods that looked like glider cockpits for moving people and cargo around.

While I agree NSC that getting behind a slow biker would be an issue in this design, the overhead beam setup has some cost savings over conventional light rail mass transit systems.

Fantastic...one of the better ideas that allow the average (joe) to be part of the solution.

Great concept for zipline operators: Self-powered return transport,
eliminating pollutive ground vehicles and improving the health of
participants!

Looks a lot more expensive than a typical commuter bike. And how do you get to the station - on your regular bike? Or drive? The only advantage I see is moving HPV's out of automobile traffic. Which means if you build this you still expect most trips to be by car. You do much more good by building more efficient but still comfortable and practial cars that everyone will want to drive than by getting a few to use 'super-green' stuff.

I can foresee the time when we are using Personal Electric Sky Carts (PESCs) and Commercial Electric Sky Carts (CESCs) that use an overhead monorail system (the carts will hang from the monorail). Take the picture that accompanies this article and hang it from a monorail and you'll have a good idea of what it could look like.

OK, in my last post I didn't say exactly what I was thinking. This Sky Cart, Skymobile, whatever you want to call it, Is a really great idea. To get a good idea of how it can work, think about the computerized delivery systems that companies like Amazon, USPS and others use to get packages from point A to point B.
All we need is a monorail system that can connect your home to anywhere else in the world. It would look like our system of local roads connected to regional highways connected to interstate highways.

That is the exact concept I saw a web site focused on a few years ago KosmiKoyote. I tried the saved link, but the site is gone.

The concept drawings used the cockpits of gliders suspended from overhead rails. They would be independently powered with full surround airbags on the people moving version. The concept had touch screen controls with stations you selected for your destination.

The carts would be routed using IP network logic to avoid congestion with collision avoidance radar, like some cars, as a safety feature.

The proposal I saw was originally put to the city council of Phoenix.

Yeh, the video at www.skyridetechnology is pretty cool. I foresee
lots of money being made and big problems controlling the
'monorail' pollution.

I love it. Fantastic. But what happens when different abilities are slowing and or pushing others in the line?

Great concept, health, mobility, etc. but what happens when users are going at different speeds and abilities?
Going to be a lot of Sky Rage.

I think, from the replies above that such a system, properly designed and built (such as more than one lane to pass slower, or get out of the way of faster bikes) is, on paper, a great idea.But I see some serious drawbacks. One is the infrastructure cost from EVERY front door to EVERY other location within reasonable range.
However this cost may be able to be offset by lower maintenance on existing roads, building and maintaining fewer roads, fuel cost savings, reduced pollution, etc.
But I still see a serious problem. For most people (to the best of my knowledge), commuting is the greatest number of miles one travels. And based on the current SmartPlanet poll, far too many people's commutes are just too long for bicycling. I commute a total of 50+ miles to work, 5 days a week. At 57, I doubt, no matter how good of shape I'm in, that I could do 25+ miles twice a day. And think of the infrastructure to get someone from their front door to ALL locations in 25 miles in every direction.

But the biggest factor would be time spent commuting. I already resent losing nearly two hours a day of my life to commuting (even at 70 mph), though it's spent listening to NPR news, which I can still listen to in bed at home. I just think, for day to day practical purposes, it's just too slow a way to get around. Modern existing cities (which aren't going away for 100 years or more) are too spread out for such a system to be viable in everyday life.

i like the concept, and think that there are some applications this
could work for. perhaps a college campus. or a fitness gym that
can offer an outdoor cardio option that is safer than running on
bad sidewalks and crossing street traffic.

as with EVERY transportation mode, each mode has strengths
and weaknesses. i would not expect this system to be used for
20 mile + daily work commutes. i think it unrealistic that it would
go to every door or home too.

however, we have too much overabundance on cars for most
journeys, even if they are not as well-suited for it. i think this
system could be used in small areas where there is less room or
less desire for cars - say a univ or work campus. or it could be
used for short distances from a commuter rail or bus station to its
nearby traffic generators, thus avoiding car use and parking for
such tiny distances.

so my questions:

how do stations work for boarding? i would have liked to see a
picture or a video of the station itself.

how does it handle snow, ice, and rain?

can an enclosed capsule be developed for winter?

can there be choices of vehicles on the same track - 1 day
someone might want to row, the next day pedal, and back and
forth.

for excercising, i would like to see an "elliptical" version, maybe a
'reclining ellipical', of some sort, where both arms and legs are
moving at the same time so as to get a total cardio workout.
pedling just moves the legs, and rowing just moves the arms.
create an additional choice by offering 1 that can do both at
same time, just like an elliptical.

does the "rowing" version have to face backwards? im sure it has
something to do with the movement direction, as boat rowing is
also backwards. but on some track where you need to see the
vehicles in front of you, is there some way that a differential,
gear, shift, or some other mechanical means can be installed that
can reverse the action of the row for propelling? this way, a
rower can face forwards and yet move forwards too.

@John T. Hill III
Regarding the concern you express about communting 50 miles a day at HPV speeds: That's a valid criticism - since something like this is an add-on to existing road infrastructure that will be used by small percent of the population. Another way of looking at it is that finding a way for someone in your situation to live closer to your work, or otherwise reduce the amount of commuting you need to do (telecommuting?) is both cheaper and more effective as a way to reduce fuel consumption. To put it another way, getting 5 very fit and zealous guys with a 50 mile commute to use an HPV is only 1/4 as good as getting 100 50 mile commuters to do at lease 1 of: work from home 1 day a week, or drive a 20% more fuel efficient vehicle, or move 20% closer to work.

When I saw the video, I thought this would be a great idea for kids
exercising. I realize the cost may be prohibitive for schools since
they seem to be on the chopping block but it would be great for
getting kids to move more.

I'm not sure if it would work for a daily commute, but why not use it for ski lifts or to travel up mountains for a fantastic view.

Wonderful concepts for those of us who actually exercise. But I don't see the average American fatty using this.

Look, a similar concept in NZ already, the shweeb in Rotorua.
Not quite for transit, but for fun.....
http://www.freemanx.co.nz/land-adventure-tours/shweeb-ride-rotorua/379/?gclid=CLv5lI2d0acCFQkFbAodfXvgDg

Logan's Run anybody? This is fine as long as EVERY single person is physically able to transport themselves, but, what about those who would be incapable? What about emergency first responders? How would you extract a person that had a major coronary because they got on this thing and died, because they got on it and knew they shouldn't have? What about the ego of the elder's who get on it and drive like they do now on the roads? What about the overprotective, germophobe, housewives and their beached whale sized kids? How would they get to the doctor's with their imaginary life ending disease's? Think about it do we really want a bunch of un-medicated, overprotective, selfish, smart asses holding up production more than they do already?

Why is the rower model going backwards like a boat would? Just change the way the wire is spooled onto the drum and let the poor guy go forward like the biker, too!

Pretty useless as a new mode of transportation. However, for recreation, this thing has lots of pleasant possibilities. This kind of track could be erected alongside of bike paths and park trails, or for an elevated scenic view around community centers, with a much smaller footprint than building a road. How long until we can ride a skycycle built for two?

I would miss the wonderful views, sunrises, sunsets, blue skys, white clouds, birds flying in formation, etc. when the airways become clogged with the gridwork for these items to run on. When they begin to rust and are covered with grafetti I know I will be asking, "What were we thinking?"

I agree it is a great concept for recreation, but perhaps not "mass" transit. Perhaps the world's lowest-energy roller coaster?

I also agree that the rower should face forward. Since there are even boats that do this, it should not be a problem.

Rollie Cole
Director of Technology Policy
Sagamore Institute for Policy Research

Only real use is a way to get exercise unless we rebuild all cities. Problems of disembarking, cost, slow vs fast, and incapacity and death make it impractical unless there are two lanes, or more.... then technical issues make costs even higher. Would have to use already installed "bikes" so would still have to find places to park the transportation you use to gt there. Seems like an exercise toy for a large very high end resort.

One of those concepts that 'looks neat' and has all sorts of sizzle factor but is highly impractical and overly expensive not only in material costs but also total environmental impact.

Bicycling on the ground is a far better alternative and one not requiring massive investments. It has also long ago resolved the differing ability issue.

Sadly in places like NYC the chief of police has a personal vendetta against bicyclists and all things environmentally responsible.

You think getting stuck behind a Q-Tip in the left lane doing 45 MPH with their blinker flashing is annoying now? Try getting stuck behind a slow pedaler and being forced to push them along the way. kral oyun