Top Ten Most Innovative
Vehicles
The world is filled with millions and
millions of different vehicles which are used to transport people
and cargo to far away locations - through all types of climates
and over varying terrain.
However most vehicles are actually quite similar. Most cars
have four wheels, most boats have a pointy end and a blunt end,
and most aircraft don't work well as cars. However there are
a few oddities in the world of vehicles which try to bend the
conventional rules.
Listed here are ten of the most ingenious and oddball concept
and production vehicles ever devised.
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Covini
C6W
At first glance the Covini C6W almost looks like a photoshopped
Ferrari with a couple of extra wheels thrown in. It's not.
It really is as crazy as it looks.
Despite the unusual layout the manufacturer actually claims
that the six wheels offer a number of benefits over the usual
four.
More
information on the Covini C6W |
Honda
UX-3
The Honda UX-3 is a unique balancing monowheel which the Japanese
company conceived as a completely new form of personal transport.
Powered by a small electric motor the 10 kg (22lb) UX-3 can
run for around 1 hour on a full charge. Hardly seems worth
the effort if you ask me.
More
information on the Honda UX-3 |
NASA
AD-1
The NASA AD-1 has got to be one of the craziest looking aircraft
ever to be produced. In most aircraft, if the wing swung round
to a 60 degree angle across the body, you'd be in big trouble.
However the AD-1 used this swiveling wing feature to its advantage.
The NASA AD-1 was retired after 3 years and 79 flights in
1982.
More
information on the NASA AD-1 |
Segway
Centaur
The Segway Centaur is the bigger, but much less well known
relative of the Segway
HT.
Using the same gyroscopic balancing technology featured on
its sibling, popping a wheelie on the Centaur is a safe and
controlled activity, you can even go in reverse while on two
wheels!
More
information on the Segway Centaur |
Innespace
SeaBreacher
The Innespace SeaBreacher is an amazing little submersible
which relies on the principle of underwater flight for movement
and directional control.
Controlled by a joystick, the SeaBreacher quite literally
flies underwater, it can even leap out of the water like a
scalded dolphin!
More
information on the Innespace SeaBreacher |
ParaJet
SkyCar
So many people and companies over the decades have tried to
come up with viable flying cars, and almost all have failed.
And failed spectacularly at that.
The ParaJet SkyCar is a simplistic take on the whole flying
car idea. And it's this very simplicity which has made the
ParaJet SkyCar one of the only successful 'flying cars' to
hit the market.
More
information on the ParaJet SkyCar |
Nike
One
The Nike One isn't going to be hitting the streets any time
soon as its just a concept .In fact the closest thing you
can get to driving it is on Polyphony's Gran Turismo 4
driving game.
Clever ideas which were integrated into the design of the
Nike One include a human-powered element - but it's not what
you think!
More information
on the Nike One |
Rinspeed
sQuba
The picture pretty much says it all. The Rinspeed sQuba is
a sports car which is capable of transforming into an open-top
submersible.
Powered by electric motors, the sQuba is based on a Lotus
Elise platform which has been heavily modified to accept all
the propellors and buoyancy tanks needed to make a submarine
More
information on the Rinspeed sQuba
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Mobula
Ekranoplan
This weird looking vehicle is just a concept for the time
being. It was devised as a massive luxury transport vehicle
for long-distance travel over the oceans and seas of the world.
The Mobula is an ekranoplan, this is the name given to a vehicle
which is capable of flight - but relies on a phenomenon called
'ground effect' - to stay aloft.
More
information on the Mobula Ekranoplan
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WAM-V
Proteus
The WAM-V Proteus is a strange looking vessel which looks
like some sort of giant water-walking spider. But it is in
fact a Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel (WAM-V).
Unlike conventional boats which force the water to conform
to their hull shape, the Proteus adjusts to the shape of the
sea. This means that the passengers are subjected to much
less up-and-down movement caused by wave motion.
More
information on the WAM-V Proteus |
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