TDK Corp presents an angle sensor developed through GMR elements and focused on motor control of hybrid and electric vehicles. The angle sensor is embedded with features like a resolution as high as 0.35 and a smaller size compared with existing angle sensors that use a coil and a magnet. The angle sensor comes with a great combination of metallic disk, placed on motor shaft. Designed in circular arch consisting of four GMR elements inside each loaded with a permanent magnet on the rear side.

The metallic disk being oval in shape makes the distance between disk and sensor change as the shaft rotates, favouring changes in the magnetic field. The GMR elements detect those changes and determine the angles. When it comes to hybrid and electric vehicles, it is necessary to have an angle sensor that can detect the angle of a shutdown motor with the resolution of 0.5 to 0.8, according to TDK.

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If you thought humans were not meant to fly, think again, for a Swiss pilot has just flown across the English Channel. What’s new, you may ask. Well, he did not pilot an aircraft over the channel but piloted his own body, in short, he just flew!

All he did was, he fired up his attached jets and flew after leaping from a plane at the height 8,800 feet and then flew across the channel. He reached the other side in less than fifteen minutes. Probably, humans can now dream about flying anywhere they want, if they just attach a few jet engines to their backs.

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Sometimes we require some of the most ingenious vehicles to move across. The last one that really impressed me was the Segway x2 recently released by Segway. Though Segway x2 can tackle any terrain, it cannot tackle water. And on water, I would prefer AquaSkipper. This really awesome human-powered device lets you hop on water and you would neither sink nor have to get in water. The device is lifted above water by hydrofoils and keeps it from sinking. A user just has to climb atop the platform, grab the handles and start jumping across the surface of water.

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Supporting the ‘cause green’ and ‘keeping fit’ are two of the latest fad catching up the world
So if you are game to support the cause in a lavish way, get ready to chuck away that coupe and ride the new James Perse Cruiser! Cruisers ‘coz they sport those wide tires for handling the sand, low wide-set handlebars, and coaster brakes. The Hydroform steel frame and the hand-aged leather make it a treat for the rider and a craving for the beholder.
The bike is available in a variety of 4 hues to choose from in that good old vintage 50s and 60s-style and if you want to put your hands on the selective numbers…hurry up for they are selling only the limited edition serial number and serial number tag. It’s available only at James Perse boutiques for approx $2200.
Via: Aquiremag

Meet Monza, another mean machine straight from the future. Designed by Iman Maghsoudi, this one is a perfect portrayal of his belief that driving cars in the future will be like operating a PC while zooming at 200 km/h. Thanks to the unsurpassable technological advancement this otherwise impossible phenomenon will now be achieved thanks to the hyper-computerized Monza that is not just built for speed but also for auto driving.
At the low speed beginning of your journey on Monza, you’ll be sitting inside the cockpit controlling it like a motorcycle but as soon as the speed exceeds a particular limit, the car gets into the auto mode and the computer takes over relieving you. At this stage, the vehicle transforms into something looking like an airfoil to provide maximum aerodynamics.

The design is such that it creates a lift to reduce friction while the strong ground effects keep you from taking off. Since the vehicle will be swimming in air, thanks to its speed, the 2 manta ray like fins continue their work of adjusting to channel air to keep the vehicle well balanced and swiftly floating…errr…running!
Via: Yankodesign

If you are a Harley Davidson fan, then you are going to love this. Garmin has recently launched its Zumo 550 GPS device, which is themed on the Harley bikes. The Zumo line of GPS devices is specially designed for motorcycle riders and also carry big buttons for gloved users. It could also be used hands-free and supports Bluetooth. You would even get optional traffic alerts in certain cities. The GPS device also has a list of Harley dealers across the nation. As bikers are exposed to the elements, the device is waterproof and is sturdy, elegant and sleek.

You could also add a radio to accompany you and navigate exotic cities with the help of the preloaded City Navigator® NT street maps, which has information about restaurants, ATMs and the like. You could also use the bluetooth-enabled Zumo 550 to make and receive phone calls from your cellphone even while wearing the helmet. It could actually be a technical companion for you when you hit the highways across the country. At $964, the device may be a little hard on the pocket, but is nevertheless a good buy.

Via: CrunchGear

I dunno how successful are these jazzy futuristic cars, but what I’m sure about it the fact they are an absolute treat for the eye, just perfect to make one marvel at the imagination and technical/mechanical perfection of the designer. The coupe that we are talking about today is one such energy saving car that is magnetically-driven. Designed by Matúš Procháczka from Slovak, this concept features droolworthy designing including the four-inch spike heels, which at the same time looks quite far reality. Definitely a good thought but the concept of magnetic car comes with limitations too as will requires all roads to have embedded magnetic panels, which again looks like a far etched demand.

No wonders it’s a perfect peep into the future, a design that goes beyond the human and technological imagination as of now…but definitely comes to for as an ultimate beautiful vehicle. Hope it sees the dawn of realty.

Via: OhGizmo

Ever rode a bicycle? If your answer is yes, then I’m sure you must have wished at some point of your long morning exercise that your bicycle could have a special engine that could help you get rid off that pedaling when you got tired. Against all our expectations that desire never materialized. But it seems someone has finally heard your far cry and designed this futuristic bicycle…err BRycle. It’s called the BRicycle just because the Brain behind the Bricycle is Bryan

This one is yet another example of homebuilt electric vehicles, but ulike the other embarrassing designs , this one seems quite sensuous. Though not reach its final consummation as yet, but once ready the Bricycle will be good enough to carry one person.

The best and the most important feature of this futuristic delivery truck is that it comes fitted with a 48-volt electric-assist motor that can come to your rescue when you get tired of pedaling. Not just this, the uber-cool bricycle features 21 bicycle gears, and four-wheel disc brakes for quick stops. Now that’s quite impressive! Can someone please tel me when is it hitting the roads?

Via: Engadget/ Bricycles

Here comes a mode of public transport for those who die for privacy and are ready to go to any extent to keep even the slightest of human presence off them selves. Christened as the train capsule, this one is a concept by designer Hamit Kanuni Kuralkan from Melbourne, Australia. Train capsule features just a single car unlike other multiple bogie options and can home just a dozen or so of passengers.

Sitting in this special train you can gift yourself an entire compartment that’s big enough for only you to fit in. Seating arrangement here offers such arrangement that passengers sit in side by side in side-facing but separate capsules. The train also offers a compartment of four at either end of the train for those social animals who don’t consider ‘two as crowd’.

Definitely, you own a cabin just to yourself in this train, but at the same time you ought to sacrifice on the comfort to move and roam about like you can do in other subways in the city. After all, everything comes with the price!

I hope they launch many of them together on the rails, else special efforts will be required to put on preventing brawls for seat.
Via: Dvice

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Wanna do some real action on the roads just like your fav power packed superhero from movies? Check out this latest mean machine that transforms from a spacious tri-cycle o sleek and compact two wheeled jazzy bike whenever time and space constraint demands and that too just at the touch of a button. Just imagine your vehicle shrinking into a compact avatar at the brink of hitting a jam packed road.

For highway driving the Magic Tricycle designed by student Seyyed Javad Ghaffarian, comes on all three wheels, but the moment space becomes less the entire passenger cabin rotates, raising the third wheel in the air, that makes the blades to rise high and support the chassis stable. Even when it turns, the seats remain upright so you don’t have to fear a fall.

The flexible vehicle is designed particularly for Car Design News’ 2008 design contest.

Via: Dvice