Japan, the country that brought us Karaoke, the Tamagotchi virtual pet and the Nintendo Wii, has a reputation for putting a technological spin on the kind of activity – singing, raising a pet, or keeping fit – that many of us prefer to carry out in real life, and now Honda’s boffins have turned their attention to cycling.
The company, which has a long history of innovation in everything from automotive products to robotics, is planning to launch a bicycle simulator next year, which promises to let people ride along city streets without fear of being injured through hitting potholes, getting doored, or white man van yelling “sorry mate, I didn’t see you!” as you untangle yourself from your bike’s frame.
Initially conceived as a traffic safety education aid, Honda has reportedly decided to make the simulator available commercially due to the interest it has generated, and target customers are said to include law enforcement agencies, driving schools and educational establishments.
A variety of scenarios are programmed into the machine, including “going to school”, “going to a local shopping street” and “going to the grocery store”, although sadly as yet there’s no word on it including “going up Alpe d’Huez” or “going from Milan to San Remo”.
The simulator will initially be launched in the Japanese market, with Honda taking pre-orders from next month.
Cycling infrastructure does not force drivers to break the law, drivers are the reason they break the law, no one else.
Ah but taking pictures of things to defy the man (avoid a fine) is righteous. Taking pictures of people to grass on them to the cops (perhaps...
But getting paid for it is the very definition of professional....
Never had a Shimano QR fail on me. They just work. And the top end ones look good too....
If you're only looking at the guy in front of you then you're going to crash whatever brakes you have, you need to look beyond them to anticipate...
As a woman, this works great for me! My chain broke once, and a kind guy stopped with a chain breaker and sorted it all out for me. We stopped at a...
Same. I also have gone through a bunch of their tyres, and only the extralight disappointed (torn sidewall) but the standards are fantastic....
thanks for the ideas....
Indeed - but it's no more inconsistent than our current road design - very often UK high streets are "for shopping" and also a busy through route....
If you ask the world's leading economic commentators how many people have been rescued from abject poverty by capitalism the average answer would...