Sounding Crazy

Sometimes, well many times, in the automotive world we see some really odd contraptions that make us wonder why someone didn’t stop sounding the manufacturer before the item made it to concept and, God forbid, to production.  This can come in the form of a build and design that seems to be made for one specific shopper that will fit in the vehicle or it can be a set of features that don’t really match up well to make the vehicle perform in a manner that is desired.  Recent news has shown that even some of the more conservative automakers are not immune to the oddities of the world and bring us some strange items.

What has been thought up now seems to be an item that really is futuristic in nature.  In fact the technology is not even being developed, but just in case they decide to do so, Ford has put a patent on a highly unique piece of machinery.  What we see so far is the possibility of a technology that will allow a vehicle to have a rear wheel removed and that rear wheel turned into a unicycle for the driver to make use of and ride around a small area.

This could be a useful technology as the car with this feature could allow a driver to make it around a college campus quickly or find maneuverability on city streets where traffic can become backed up and crowded.  The use of this technology certainly has its applications but there are some things that seem a bit strange about being able to take a wheel off your car to let it be a drivable vehicle for you.  In addition to that, how many people can actually ride a unicycle?  Most of the time you see this item in a circus not in a typical urban setting.

This new technology, which is not even being developed yet, describes a unicycle that is fully balanced.  It is supposed to be a self-balancing machine and have a small electric engine in the wheel to propel the bike.  With an automatic jack installed in the car the vehicle would easily lift up safely and make the removal of the wheel simple.  Add the handlebars and see that are stored in the trunk of the car and off you go on some adventure in an urban area that is crowded.  Having this system will make it easier for you to get around in crowded areas and then return to your car at the end of the day.

While this technology sounds crazy and a bit out of reach it was important enough to Ford to go ahead and put a patent on it for us to see that they want to protect this idea in case they choose to develop it further.  This would certainly be a niche item and probably only meant for cars that have smaller tires for us to straddle and ride, but the time when we no longer have to walk much at all seems to be coming upon us very soon.

01.02.16 - Ford Logo

 

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