Deus Ex Machina – The motorcycle you wear
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07-11-2008, 05:46 PM
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: New York City
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Deus Ex Machina – The motorcycle you wear
Deus Ex Machina – The motorcycle you wear
by Stuart Schwartzapfel, Team Speed Editor
And you thought superheroes got all the cool toys. Well, Batman be damned and Iron Man eat your heart out because a motorcycle suit for the masses might just be on the horizon. Like some sort of lab accident that went horribly right, transportation design student Jake Loniak [Art Center Pasadena] has successfully fused man and machine in his electric-powered ‘Deus Ex Machina’ [God Out of a Machine] motorcycle concept. The look, functionality and technology packed into this thoroughly bad ass street rod is like something out of Spielberg’s Minority Report.
Think back to 1989, when Nintendo released their innovative Power Glove. Your hand was like a remote control for Christ’s sake. So when you knocked Mike Tyson’s lights out, you actually worked up a sweat. How cool is that? Well, now apply that principal to a operating a motorcycle. ‘Deus Ex Machina’, with its extendable forks and artificial spine, is the non-evil motorcycle equivalent to Dr. Octopus’ maniacal arms. Inspired by Biomechatronics, which refers to technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics, riders wear the ‘Deus Ex Machina’ as if it were an extension of their own body. Seven artificial vertebrae arranged below the helmet support the rider’s head and control the vehicle via 36 pneumatic muscles [contractile or extensional devices operated by pressurized air] and 2 linear actuators [devices that develop force and motion, from an available energy source, in a linear manner, as opposed to rotationally like an electric motor]. Leaning forward allows the rider to lengthen the futuristic chopper’s wheelbase for increased stability and aerodynamics.
The design brief called for a motorcycle unlike anything on the market now, so ‘Deus Ex Machina’ can park vertically and makes use of alternate power sources. Doped NanoPhosphate batteries and ultra-capacitors, both nascent technologies, are stored in a funky-looking backpack and provide electric fuel to an in-wheel motor positioned below the rider’s feet. In case you didn’t know, Nano-engineering [employing technology at the nanoscale] represents a promising solution to Lithium-Ion’s shortfalls, such as long recharge times and limited ‘memory’. Similarly, ultra-capacitors offer rapid charge rates and are said to efficiently capture electricity from regenerative braking. The electric motor supplies enough grunt to nail 60 mph in just 3 seconds, a performance statistic right up there with traditional sport motorcycles. And recharge time is a scant 15 minutes for 60 minutes worth of juice. Top speed is limited to 75 mph, probably a good thing considering that pictures fail to identify where and how brakes will be utilized.
‘Deus Ex Machina’ is not a runner, but we all look forward to squeezing into tight spaces and combating global warming in one of these sometime soon.
by Stuart Schwartzapfel, Team Speed Editor
And you thought superheroes got all the cool toys. Well, Batman be damned and Iron Man eat your heart out because a motorcycle suit for the masses might just be on the horizon. Like some sort of lab accident that went horribly right, transportation design student Jake Loniak [Art Center Pasadena] has successfully fused man and machine in his electric-powered ‘Deus Ex Machina’ [God Out of a Machine] motorcycle concept. The look, functionality and technology packed into this thoroughly bad ass street rod is like something out of Spielberg’s Minority Report.
Think back to 1989, when Nintendo released their innovative Power Glove. Your hand was like a remote control for Christ’s sake. So when you knocked Mike Tyson’s lights out, you actually worked up a sweat. How cool is that? Well, now apply that principal to a operating a motorcycle. ‘Deus Ex Machina’, with its extendable forks and artificial spine, is the non-evil motorcycle equivalent to Dr. Octopus’ maniacal arms. Inspired by Biomechatronics, which refers to technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics, riders wear the ‘Deus Ex Machina’ as if it were an extension of their own body. Seven artificial vertebrae arranged below the helmet support the rider’s head and control the vehicle via 36 pneumatic muscles [contractile or extensional devices operated by pressurized air] and 2 linear actuators [devices that develop force and motion, from an available energy source, in a linear manner, as opposed to rotationally like an electric motor]. Leaning forward allows the rider to lengthen the futuristic chopper’s wheelbase for increased stability and aerodynamics.
The design brief called for a motorcycle unlike anything on the market now, so ‘Deus Ex Machina’ can park vertically and makes use of alternate power sources. Doped NanoPhosphate batteries and ultra-capacitors, both nascent technologies, are stored in a funky-looking backpack and provide electric fuel to an in-wheel motor positioned below the rider’s feet. In case you didn’t know, Nano-engineering [employing technology at the nanoscale] represents a promising solution to Lithium-Ion’s shortfalls, such as long recharge times and limited ‘memory’. Similarly, ultra-capacitors offer rapid charge rates and are said to efficiently capture electricity from regenerative braking. The electric motor supplies enough grunt to nail 60 mph in just 3 seconds, a performance statistic right up there with traditional sport motorcycles. And recharge time is a scant 15 minutes for 60 minutes worth of juice. Top speed is limited to 75 mph, probably a good thing considering that pictures fail to identify where and how brakes will be utilized.
‘Deus Ex Machina’ is not a runner, but we all look forward to squeezing into tight spaces and combating global warming in one of these sometime soon.
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