Rolling Skis as a Personal Mobility Device

Posted by John Farrier in Car & Vehicle, Gadget on October 30, 2009 at 8:22 am


Photo: Robonable

This is Nissan’s prototype for a personal mobility device. Just step on to the footpads and lean in the direction that you want to go:

The device has two foot boards, both of which are balanced on two wheels. The device’s tilt sensors detect when you shift your weight to turn, traveling at a maximum rate of about 5kph. The foot boards have handle bars attached to help you maintain balance, and can be connected in a variety of positions or separated.

When separated, the device only moves forwards and backwards. To turn, you simply lift and turn your leg as if you were wearing stilts. The overall effect is one of ski-less skis.

Link via DVICE

 
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Temporary Ski Jumps

Posted by Miss Cellania in Architecture on June 18, 2009 at 1:48 pm


A half-century ago, building ski jumps out of scaffolding was pretty popular, especially at stadiums, where they would be used to draw a crowd. Deputy dog takes a look at several of these oh-so-scary contraptions. The ski jump pictured was used at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1954. Link

 
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Skier Suffers Exposure

Posted by Miss Cellania in Odd News on January 7, 2009 at 12:52 pm

A ski lift mishap at Blue Sky Basin resort in Vail, Colorado left a 48-year-old man hanging upside down without his pants on New Years Day.

It appears that the chairlift’s fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding. As seen in the photos on the following pages (which were snapped by fellow skiers), the Skyline Express lift was stopped shortly after the pair’s botched boarding resulted in the man dangling from the lift. The exposed skier was stuck for about 15 minutes before Vail personnel backed the lift up and successfully dislodged the unidentified man from the four-seat chair.

Link -via YesButNoButYes

 
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World Record Cliff Jump Set by Accident

Posted by Miss Cellania in Sports, World Records on January 4, 2009 at 12:49 pm

Norwegian skiier Fred Syversen unintentionally dropped 107 meters (351 feet) off a cliff while attempting a different cliff jump -and survived with hardly a scratch! The jump was nearly a year ago, but video evidence has recently led to measurements that confirm how high the jump really was.

Fred Syversen realized that he missed the correct line. Instead of braking he decided to drop as well as possible. He knew that braking could lead to uncontrolled flying, which could actually kill him. Just before jumping he made a little turn in order to avoid crashing into the rocks on his left side. His position looks well controlled, although (for a moment) he was sure he was going to die.

Syversen’s landing buried him in two meters of snow. He was dug out by the helicopter crew and taken to a hospital, where he was found to have suffered only minor liver damage. Link (with video) -via Arbroath

 
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