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The Bombardier EMBRIO Advanced Concept is a
one-wheeled recreational and commuting vehicle that promises a whole new
experience on the road. Aimed at the 18 to 45 age group, this advanced
concept prefigures the kind of user-friendly, minimalist vehicles we might
be seeing - and using - on our urban, suburban and country roads in the
year 2025.
This project was conceived as an exercise in forward thinking: what will
the future of recreational transportation be like? Bombardier Recreational
Products designers were asked to come up with a prospective concept for a
recreational vehicle that would meet the needs of people in the year 2025.
The Bombardier EMBRIO concept is one of several concepts that were
proposed by different internal design teams of Bombardier Recreational
Products which had to respect the design philosophy "to create highly
innovative, functional and exciting products to exceed people's
recreational needs", and answer the following challenge: what would be the
"next thing" in recreational vehicles?
The resulting concept is a minimalist, pure and simplified design that
uses clean lines and on which the human print is obvious, yet fully
blended in the overall styling theme. Both beautiful and functional, the
Bombardier EMBRIO is exciting to look at, and should be even more exciting
to ride.
The EMBRIO concept is a recreational and commuting vehicle that uses
gyroscopic and electronic technology. It is a means of transportation, as
well as a way of enjoying transportation as a positive activity. The main
power source is a hydrogen fuel cell. In stand-by configuration, the
vehicle's front wheels deploy to the ground like a jet plane landing gear
to increase longitudinal stability. Thus stabilized, the Bombardier EMBRIO
looks perfectly at home in the urban landscape, displaying the beauty of
its sculptural lines until it's time to go for a ride.
Riding the Bombardier EMBRIO concept in the real world would be a thrill.
With a riding position similar to a motorcycle, the EMBRIO uses a complex
series of sensors and gyroscopes to balance one or more human passengers
on a single wheel. Technology will be used to harness the laws of physics,
with the gyroscopes and sensors, a high-performance braking system, active
suspension, night vision and robotic assistance. A digitally encoded
learning key will start the engine. To move forward, the rider activates a
trigger on the left handlebar. The landing gear retracts when the speed
reaches 20 km/h. To turn, the rider leans in the desired direction. The
brake is activated by a trigger on the right handlebar. When the speed
drops to 20 km/h again, the landing gear redeploys automatically. Even
without the landing gear, the EMBRIO would be stable when motionless
because of the gyroscope.
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