Open PRT specification project: 4> Here is My Idea of PRT

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

4> Here is My Idea of PRT

Notice the doubly articulated swing arm. This enables steep, even vertical ascension and dissention, as well as speedy, tight turns and rapid starts and stops. An adjustable hydraulic mechanism (similar to a door-closer) would dampen the swinging movement.

3 comments:

A Transportation Enthusiast said...: Very similar to Mist-er PRT, which is a suspended design that also features steep climbing and an actively damped hinge.; September 5, 2008 at 5:31 PM
DSmith said...: I like the idea of hanging cars that come down to ground level. This provides accessibility to everyone without needing to have elevators at every station.

However, how would you ensure the way is kept clear of people and objects. Some kind of barrier would be necessary.; December 18, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Bengt Gustafsson said...: Note that to avoid nausea you would have to dampen the swinging movements which otherwise occur for instance after leaving a curve. This causes significant torsional force on the wheel carriage, which your and many other systems don't seem able to handle given the suggested wheel layout and track width. With a supported system like ULTra or Vectus the wheel base has been chosen to be able to handle curves and crosswinds without toppling, but designing a wide wheel base suspended system is not so easy although Cabinentaxi did exactly this.; January 9, 2009 at 9:14 AM

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Want to download editable copies of the designs pictured in this blog? These (generally done in Google’s free 3D program “SketchUp”) are now available at our design collaboration site, http://code.google.com/p/openprt/ Instructions for sharing, improving and updating designs via SVN are also posted there, under “Downloads.”

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Everyone knows that automobiles, as we know them, cannot continue to be the primary way the world commutes forever. There is the emergence of an enormous commuting class in the developing world, but it’s not just that there will not be enough fuel. The cost will be so high as to humble the world’s great powers, and be the cause of future wars. The impact on Global warming will be catastrophic. The health effects for residents of large cities is already significant. The lost productivity caused by grid-locked traffic currently takes a big bite out of our standard of living that we don’t even recognize. It will only get worse. Clearly something needs to be done.
The problem is that there is, currently, no alternative. The car now offers the only real transportation system which has a prayer of offering a traveler a nearly straight line, nearly non-stop, essentially door-to-door journey. (I am leaving out bicycles and motorcycles, and scooters and Segways, etc. because they can all be problematic in bad weather, for older persons, etc.) Enter the PRT, or PERSONAL RAPID TRANSIT. . Though promising in theory, this concept has failed to deliver, and I think I know why. The problem is that the PRT systems developed thus far were developed not to solve this great world problem, but rather to create a business. This bias toward profit has poisoned the decision making process and created products with limited usefulness. I am not against profit. It is just that there has been too little emphasis on what a city wants and too much on what the corporation wants to offer. The system needs to be designed as a versatile, practical set of solutions, not as a product offering that reflects the strength and weaknesses of the company offering it. Proprietary or patented specifications and single source suppliers can only discourage a city government from taking the leap of faith needed to make PRT a reality.
Enter this blog. This is but a timid first step on what could be a world-changing journey. What if the complete specifications for a working PRT system were developed and continually improved via posting online? What if the system was modular, with all of the various parts and pieces being individually ready to be out-sourced to the lowest bidder? What if the next company interested in being a PRT provider didn’t have to re-invent the wheel? What if the next city government considering PRT could have easy access to the thoughts and experiences of their peers in other cities? What if all the concerns - environmental, macro- and micro-economic, political, technical, fiscal, legal, even psychological- could be so completely vetted that cities world-wide could institute PRT programs with confidence and competence? So get on board, spread the word…and let’s change the world!

Open PRT specification project

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

4> Here is My Idea of PRT

3 comments:

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