(Video Link)
Students at the University of Maryland build a functional helicopter that is powered only by human exertion:
The X-shaped helicopter, called Gamera, has 42-foot diameter rotors at each end of 60-foot long crossbars. A pilot's module is suspended from the middle, where Wexler, a biology student, sat and pedaled with feet and hands. Pilot included, the contraption weighs just over 200 pounds.
Judy Wexler pedaled hard enough to lift the craft (just barely) off the ground for four seconds. Skip ahead to three minutes into the video to see the flight.
Link via Walyou
Comments (9)
Or you know, cyclists could actually drive IN CONTROL instead of just going hell bent full out and then blaming everyone else but themselves for the accidents.
Yup. It's amazing how many bicyclists get run down on straight, flat roads on sunny days by drivers who "didn't see them" while eating, texting, yelling at the kids in the backseat, fiddling with the radio, etc.
I see cyclists riding down the edge of very busy roads, no bright clothing, no mirror...they are crazy.
but we're talking specifically about bike lanes here, which are usually between the parking lane and moving traffic. while cyclists need to try to be aware of people in parked cars (since they may open their door), in most jurisdictions it's the legal obligation of the occupants of the parked car to check and make sure they're not about to open the door on a cyclist. the cyclist is riding in a lane that they are allowed to be riding in and thus have the "right of way" in this situation, so to speak. people need to understand that a cyclist riding at even "slow" speeds of 10 or 20mph have been killed after being doored (yes, even when wearing a helmet. a helmet is a safety measure, but it's definitely not a guarantee and doesn't protect the rider from neck, back or other potentially life-threatening injuries. just like having airbags in a car is no guarantee that you'll survive a crash).
and as much as jerkus cyclists anger a lot of people (including other cyclists), it still doesn't give anyone in a car the right to cause them seriously bodily injury. unlike a metal-enclosed car, the only "protective buffer" cyclists have is our skin and everyone knows skin makes pretty crappy padding.