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Animal Pedal Power! /crazy invention
by kcmasterpiece » Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:34 am
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I have been very disappointed with the amount of further development that would be needed for an overhauled American infrastructure to be an ethically green nation. Personally I am closer on the tribalism side of the environmentalist spectrum than the Green Industry inc. side.
I asked myself a question a year ago. How can the bicycle be improved upon to add more power and less human work and be more of a replacement for a car?
My imperfect conclusion was that we have to combine the power of animals with the efficiency of the bicycle. To date, the most efficient use of energy for transportation.
So with no experience in either animals or bicycle repair or building my quest began.
My invention is a tandem attachment for a harnessed dog to pedal along with the bicycler. Unfortunately, I have not gotten this to work yet.
The only obstacle from making this work I believe is training the dog to like the invention and not be scared and frightened like a little kid is after a first attempt at ridding a bike.
Heres is a link to an application submission with pictures I sent further explaining what is I have built.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YJEG5NMD
If nothing comes from it, learning to weld was cool.
There are differences between the attachments that allow the dog to run along with the bike and what I'm doing.
1. They are already successful and mine isn't
2. They are limited in speed to the dog's speed. While mine, the dog can stop pedaling and not get road rash because it is held in a harness.
3. The theoretical difference that I'm "trying" to prove is that the difference between a dog running and a dog pedaling is like between a person running and a person on a bike. There is less energy needed and more power produced.
I know I have misspelled pedal throughout so please don't jump on my case for that.
I asked myself a question a year ago. How can the bicycle be improved upon to add more power and less human work and be more of a replacement for a car?
My imperfect conclusion was that we have to combine the power of animals with the efficiency of the bicycle. To date, the most efficient use of energy for transportation.
So with no experience in either animals or bicycle repair or building my quest began.
My invention is a tandem attachment for a harnessed dog to pedal along with the bicycler. Unfortunately, I have not gotten this to work yet.
The only obstacle from making this work I believe is training the dog to like the invention and not be scared and frightened like a little kid is after a first attempt at ridding a bike.
Heres is a link to an application submission with pictures I sent further explaining what is I have built.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YJEG5NMD
If nothing comes from it, learning to weld was cool.
There are differences between the attachments that allow the dog to run along with the bike and what I'm doing.
1. They are already successful and mine isn't
2. They are limited in speed to the dog's speed. While mine, the dog can stop pedaling and not get road rash because it is held in a harness.
3. The theoretical difference that I'm "trying" to prove is that the difference between a dog running and a dog pedaling is like between a person running and a person on a bike. There is less energy needed and more power produced.
I know I have misspelled pedal throughout so please don't jump on my case for that.
by Average Inventor » Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:42 am
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Average Inventor - Brown Belt
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kcmasterpiece,
Thanks for sharing your story and invention. I have a few things I would like to suggest but first I wanted to ask you if you are open to suggestions. Are you?
Thanks for sharing your story and invention. I have a few things I would like to suggest but first I wanted to ask you if you are open to suggestions. Are you?
by kcmasterpiece » Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:50 am
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I am willing to take any observations or insights random people have. But please only respond if you are going to participate in a conversation with myself after a comment is sent. If you believe a particular part of this invention is impossible or poor please leave room for me to clarify myself.
Please give me your imput.
Please give me your imput.
by Average Inventor » Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:05 am
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Average Inventor - Brown Belt
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KC,
I like the idea of incorporating your dog with your bike but I'm finding the pedal power produced would be more efficient than the dog's normal running. What I would suggest is rather than changing the dog's normal behavior, it should be incorporated into the bike by say a large hamster wheel that could be attached to the back of a bike and would be hooked into the main gear system to add to the propulsion of the bike. I would also suggest having a wheel inside a wheel for the dog's safety so that only the forward momentum is added and if the dog stops running the inside wheel will remain stable and upright due to the dog's weight and the outside wheel will continue to spin. I could see it as an add on to a bike or maybe a replacement for a rear wheel?
I like the idea of incorporating your dog with your bike but I'm finding the pedal power produced would be more efficient than the dog's normal running. What I would suggest is rather than changing the dog's normal behavior, it should be incorporated into the bike by say a large hamster wheel that could be attached to the back of a bike and would be hooked into the main gear system to add to the propulsion of the bike. I would also suggest having a wheel inside a wheel for the dog's safety so that only the forward momentum is added and if the dog stops running the inside wheel will remain stable and upright due to the dog's weight and the outside wheel will continue to spin. I could see it as an add on to a bike or maybe a replacement for a rear wheel?
by kcmasterpiece » Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:23 am
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Thank you for taking your time and thought into responding. Pleas let me try respond to your ideas in a respectful way.
"I'm finding the pedal power produced would be more efficient than the dog's normal running."
Part of the reason bicycles are efficient is because they isolate the largest muscles of the body and reduce effort and increase power by allowing ourselves to sit. We don't have to use as many balancing muscles to keep from falling down. And balancing really is a large energy waster.
"What I would suggest is rather than changing the dog's normal behavior"
The pedaling motion is not a natural motion for humans either but through training it is a simple motion. The part of the brain that trains the body for particular motions is a very old evolutionary part and doesn't require higher conscious thinking. Any animal can be trained for new movements with time, reward, and a safe environment. I believe this is my largest obstacle though.
"I'm finding the pedal power produced would be more efficient than the dog's normal running."
Part of the reason bicycles are efficient is because they isolate the largest muscles of the body and reduce effort and increase power by allowing ourselves to sit. We don't have to use as many balancing muscles to keep from falling down. And balancing really is a large energy waster.
"What I would suggest is rather than changing the dog's normal behavior"
The pedaling motion is not a natural motion for humans either but through training it is a simple motion. The part of the brain that trains the body for particular motions is a very old evolutionary part and doesn't require higher conscious thinking. Any animal can be trained for new movements with time, reward, and a safe environment. I believe this is my largest obstacle though.
by makeworldbetter » Thu Feb 07, 2008 12:32 pm
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kc
I hope you won't take this offensive, but please keep this project as a level of personal interest and don't try to commercialize it, since this is not scalable, and it's not so good for the animal.
Putting a low wind drag shell in front of your bike should speed up a bicycle more than adding a dog on pedals.
I hope you won't take this offensive, but please keep this project as a level of personal interest and don't try to commercialize it, since this is not scalable, and it's not so good for the animal.
Putting a low wind drag shell in front of your bike should speed up a bicycle more than adding a dog on pedals.
Need to say thank you for a rapidshare links
by Eremeeff » Mon Mar 09, 2009 5:01 am
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7 posts
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