Hasta La Gadget!

StayLocked prototype renders your stolen bike unusable, won’t buy you another originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

We love tires — they provide an infinite boost in life to the ever-so-necessary wheel, soften the blow while driving on dirt roads and over potholes, and, upon retirement, serve as an ideal plaything for our children. But there’s still something missing. As much as we try to make it not so, our tires let their air supplies trickle away — albeit at an ever so sluggish pace — ultimately causing inconvenience, and often with unfortunate timing. A slightly deflated bicycle tire won’t have the same damaging effect as, say, a battered donut that explodes as you roll down the highway, but it can still put a serious damper in your ride. The self-inflating PumpTire sets out to make sure you never have to suffer a flat bike tire again, using a unique detachable valve that senses when a tire needs to be inflated, then pumping air from a thin tube on the outside of the tire into the inner tube.

PumpTire founder Benjamin Krempel is turning to Kickstarter to fund the project, which includes designing, testing, and manufacturing a pair of self-inflating bike tires. A $75 pledge gets you two City Cruiser tires, a $130 retail value, including a pair of 65 psi valves and inner tubes. If you pledge $100, you’ll receive a pair of City Pro high-performance 95 psi tires, which are expected to retail for $150. Krempel has set his funding goal at a massively high $250,000 with just over five weeks remaining. A cool quarter-million is quite the lofty sum, but as always, you’ll receive a refund if the project doesn’t get the fiscal green light. Jump past the break to see it in action, and for an update on our previous Insert Coin project.

Continue reading Insert Coin: PumpTire self-inflating bicycle tire

Insert Coin: PumpTire self-inflating bicycle tire originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Third generation Smart Fortwo ditches Tesla powertrain, gains two wheeled cousin

Third generation Smart Fortwo ditches Tesla powertrain, gains two wheeled cousin originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Many of us who bike in the city ride in constant fear of being tapped by a taxi cab, or crushed by a bus. There’s no way to completely eradicate the risk of being run over by a much larger motorized vehicle, but making yourself easily visible — both at night and during the day — can certainly make a difference. Smart cyclists use hand signals long before they need to make a turn, but the YouTurn signal system aims to make those indicators difficult for drivers to miss, with an accelerometer-based gadget that illuminates an arrow in the direction of your turn. If you want to turn left, for example, simply point your hand to the left, and the device will flash a giant yellow chevron. The prototype you’ll see in the video below is integrated with a glove, though the final version will simply attach to the back of your hand, and can be stored in a bag when you’re not on your bike. There’s no mention of durability or waterproofing, though since the inventor’s objective is to enhance safety, we imagine he’ll be taking precautions to avoid electrocution in the rain.

YouTurn inventory Jack O’Neal launched a Kickstarter page to help fund his project, and is accepting preorders at $50 a pop. There’s no final pricing listed at this point, but at 50 bucks for a first-run YouTurn, we were happy to make the pledge. We hope to see O’Neal meet his funding goal and send these to production, but until then, we’ll keep looking both ways and hoping for the best.

Continue reading Insert Coin: YouTurn accelerometer-based turn signal system for cyclists

Insert Coin: YouTurn accelerometer-based turn signal system for cyclists originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s certainly not the first electric motorcycle to (quietly) crisscross our desks, but the self-titled Orphiro is surely one of the classiest. Designed over in Holland as a wide-body alternative to petrol-guzzling hawgs, this eco-friendly two-wheeler relies on Li-ion batteries and a motor that pushes a grand total of 72 volts. The top speed of 75 miles-per-hour probably wouldn’t rile up the crowd in Sturgis, but cruising for 60 solid miles without using a drop of gas just might. If all goes well, we should see the first commercial version hit the pavement this September, but ominously, there’s no mention of price. Something tells us it’ll fall squarely in the “if you have to ask…” category.

Orphiro’s electric motorcycle: like a Harley, just not obnoxiously loud originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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