What is Digg?35 Comments
- dunezone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21I hope its like the Johnny Cab from Total Recall.
- FTLJohnson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9They unpimped ze auto. Ya! German engineering in da house! Werd.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Just a matter of time now before they take back Poland.
- mandarin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Want a subscription to 'Mad's Snappy Comebacks vol 542" ?
- vatechtigger, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6please, you don't even know how to handle 2 of them.......
- XISUPERMANIX, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I wish 3 boobs was one of them. The machines are taking all our jobs!
- daofma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3After reading this article, I'm more confused about the technology than when I began. First it says they use solenoid propulsion, then it says they can use existing tracks, and only switches would need to be replaced. First it says that if one car needs to stop the rest can keep going, then it says they can use existing tracks (how would one car in the middle stop when there's only one set of tracks?).
I want to see diagrams. - marinist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3As long as it doesn't try to kill me if I don't pay.
- friedman420, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3In soviet russia, car drive you!
- dggeek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Solenoids only provide the propulsion. Transrapid was lifted off of the track. Railcab uses wheels. Both can be propelled by magnetism.
As for the stopping, the Railcab uses specialized switchers so the cabs can switch off to another track without the need for the ones behind it to slow/stop. I assume they mean for there to be no stopping on the long trip rails. In urban areas it would be a different matter, as you would need too many side-rails.
That or they provide instructions for tuck-and-roll. I don't think this is meant for dense urban areas, though. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I foresee a lot of pissed off Indians.
- Derelict267, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1On the discovery channel I saw the swedish made something similar. They would ncorporate lots of small magnets in the roads and thats what the little shuttle cars would run on.
- bickdigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm in ur streetz, takin ur jobz
- AllnightChemist, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Also known as the passengerless taxi deathtrap.
- geezas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I remember I though of it a few years ago... And this as I read through the whole article I noticed that it is very similar to what I was thinking...
Of course as always, the biggest problem is the initial investment that is needed to start the whole thing going... The infrastructure... - DerGeist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2You're right on track (no pun intended).
Look outside at a huge line of traffic some day. What do you see? An endless line of $50,000, 6000 pound, 14 passenger SUVs with one occupant: a bored driver honking angrily. People don't generally carpool (too inconvenient) and they don't generally use public transportation (buses are for poor people!) unless they live in a very large city (like Chicago or NYC) and single person travel becomes untenable.
All this is doing is creating a massive clog in our transportation arteries. I've been really hoping that the car will be replaced soon by something more automated. No more inchworm effect (the front end of a line of traffic moving while the back end takes several minutes to even start moving), no more traffic delays (going from A->B takes a set amount of time), and significant improvements in safety (no drunk drivers, no distracted lady putting on makeup while going 95 mph, etc.)
The car has sadly become outmoded and needs to be replaced soon. - crawfishsoul, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3If you're going to stereotype, at least learn how to spell.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3This is actually the direction we should have been headed along time ago. Cars and roads have been a blast but they were a bad idea from the beginning. Not entirely of course. They have their place, but cars, trucks and roads have been grossly over/misused. They are wasteful and incredibly dangerous.
(@AllnightChemist) If you think you are safer in your car on a highway then you are on a rail system you are mistaken. - nonposter, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1An implementation of Personal Rapid Transit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_rapid_transit
It's good to see the benefits of technology are being realized. - icepick314, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0personally i prefer taxis from eX-Driver...
- n3mi5y5, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Johnny Cab FTW I love how a lot of ideas coming out now were all in total recall.
- bgii2000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yay JohnyCab! Phillip K. Dick FTW!
- dwhitbeck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ha, I already invented a riderless taxi.
- gabrielg01, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1get over yourselves with being genius and stuff
- gabrielg01, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Why do you guys say that this system would lessen congestion? You'd take millions off the highway, and then put them on rails. What's the difference? The traffic congestion would move from highways to rails, that's all.
Besides, the rail system is far more rigid; there is very little adaptability. Let's say one car breaks down, then everyone behind on that rail is blocked. On a highway you can immediately take over a stuck car. Also there is no personalization. You'd want to own a railcar?
I call BS. Let the regimented Germans have it. - ratzfatz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yes - thats good. 100 mp/h constantly. No stops. No Waits. Project this concept on a country like Germany and "boom" there you are. Believe me: I barely manage to drive an average of more than 80 mp/h over a long distance on the German Autobahn. 100 is something worth to go for. Especially whilst I can read the newspaper and don't have to worry about any jams or holdups.
- rowlodge, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3the robot taxi driver will prolly have a turbin on its head.
- xedd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1This trend in technological advancement might put us all out of work!
I'm getting worried, 'cause I got five kids to feed. - paradox4190, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Not with that attitude you're not.
- ratzfatz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1@daofma I fully agree. I had to refer to the German part of Spiegel Online in order to understand what thes guys where trying to tell us.
1. existing tracks can be modified in order to push cheap "Railcabs". Even an old red caboose can be driven with this technology.
2. The railcabs are similar to the data packets we used to deal with whilst becoming part of a torrent. There is a target (Spiegel's corny translation is saying "goal") and the railcabs are heading for it with minimum effort - just by communicating by each other.
"Der Spiegel" is one of the icons of good journalism here in Germany. But when it comes to technology - they simply fail to transfer the message.
I'll bet this technology is on the same level of importance as the invention of the Telefax and MP3. Invented by Germany, but marketed with success by far more clever companies. I'm not going to blame anyone. As you see with the Spiegel translation - Germans even fail to communicate their genius. Its sad. - uberdesigner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0There were several things in Total Recall that are real today.
- joshua5, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0top speed 160 kilometers/100 miles per hour
is that good? - 8177, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1If the machines are driving our taxis. Then what the hell is going to keep the arabs busy.
- marcomc2, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3woot woot, germany is the *****. and no, were not taking back poland you dumb *****.
- athlonmj, on 10/12/2007, -18/+1but will it blend?
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