Description
On the Vycle you won’t go Tour de France fast or Tour de France graceful (heh, heh, check it out) but seated atop this human-powered elevator, you will go all out Y-axis on a bicycle.
Elena Larriba and Jon Garcia the Vycle vertical transport system prototype for urban areas in need of: 1) more energy-efficient and sustainable ways to ascend floors (and scale wales, wannabe Spider-Men); and 2) a method for doing so that can accommodate people of different ages and abilities.
Vycle design is similar to a pulley system. The vertical structure is balanced with counterweights, so once you’re seated on the Little Bicycle That Could, the only heavy lifting you need to conquer is your own body weight. Vycle also incorporates traditional bike gears, so riders can control the effort-to-speed ratio they want to use on ascents and descents.
Larriba and Garcia view Vycle as a viable workplace installation (gift for the office, boss?) for eco-friendly functionality, plus employee well-being. Obviously Vycle use stimulates the body and, like the HOVR seated walker, breaks up too-long periods of sitting unmoving at a desk. But the vertical pedaler’s fun and funky design, like the Hamster Wheel Standing Desk, also stimulates the mind, taking you back to the playground, and encouraging a more interactive flow of movement in office communities.
Muchas danke to Laughing Squid.
