Abdolhadi Mirhejazi of Dubai has built a one-horsepower vehicle, but it’s not your average horse and buggy! This fully-enclosed cart has the horse in back, walking on a treadmill. The treadmill not only powers the car, it charges a battery which can take over when the horse is tired.
Mirhejazi also discovered the horse can power two LCD advertising screens mounted on the sides of the Naturmobil
"Bearing in mind the originality and uniqueness of the idea, Naturmobil was designed and built to achieve the maximum level of attention from its audiences," said his marketing manager, F. Minooeifar.
Mirhejazi plans to exhibit his Naturmobil in Pittsburgh, California in June. http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/dubai/20007183.html -via Arbroath
Mirhejazi says the Naturmobil was designed with the safety and welfare of the animal in mind. No whipping is involved.
To make the horse move, the driver flicks a switch to make the conveyor belt, where the horse is mounted, move.
Shock absorbers are placed under the conveyor belt to lessen the impact on the horse’s joints.
The horse is made to wear special soft leather shoes, tied with laces, to make walking as comfortable as possible.
This sounds like it's easier on the horse than pulling a traditional buggy.
1_ It’s in Dubai, where it’s very hot. Especially in a glass cube with a working horse.
"When the horse’s body temperature gets too hot for comfort, a sensor attached to its side transmits its temperature reading to a controller which automatically turns off the treadmill and switches the vehicle to run on battery power."
"Two sets of sensors are attached to the horse to monitor its heart rate and body temperature."
"A bower attached on top of the vehicle is designed to protect the horse from cold and heat and can be opened if the horse needs air."
2_ Yes, there seems to be no “exhaust” system.
"A waste bin is also provided to collect the horse’s discharges."
3_ Horses and other animals, including people, do not work without an incentive. Ya got to poke ‘em with a stick, or offer them a big Christmas bonus. If the driver is in front, how do you do that?
"Another bag is provided for food."
Obv this is more of a novelty/conceptual art piece than a practical invention, but the guy seems to have all of his bases covered, and it'll be interesting to see what kind of customers he pulls in. Dubai is more or less the world capital for frivolous displays of technological might, so this doesn't surprise me in the least.