Elliott-wannabe Mike Pegg has wired his mountain bike to Google Earth’s flight simulator mode to travel all around the world while he exercises. He used a Sun Microsystem SunSPOT, a Java-programmable wireless sensor equipped with an accelerometer and a bank of pins to connect it to the other controls. The system is simple, and it works perfectly, as you can see in the video.
Mike placed the SunSPOT on the base of the handlebar, then connected it to the other sensors. On the top, next to the handles, you can see two sticks connected to potentiometers, which are used to control the bike’s ailerons. If you turn the handlebar left or right, you simulate the rudder control. When you move it back and forth, it simulates how the yoke works, pitching the bike down or—if men in black with guns appear—up and away. For throttle, there’s a photosensor on the mountain bike’s back wheel, which can sense the rotation speed.
All this information gets transmitted to the SunSPOT, which has a custom Java program that talks to Google Earth on your computer, allowing you to fly across the sky looking for UFO landing sites. [Google Earth Blog]
Simon
May 21, 2008 at 9:29 PM
Combine this with stereoscopic VR goggles, a cradle I can slot my real bike into, and on-line capabilities (for challenges, ie a London to Paris race) and there’d be a lot of fit nerds out there, me included. The Bike Dock (TM) software would need to simulate faux aerodynamic properties for some semblance of realism, and also have a lean and tilt mechanism to take the place of those sticks.
Uber geeks would of course built this on a 6 DOF motion platform.
Report PermalinkPhil
May 22, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Interface to a treadmill so you can run any famous race and then make your fortune from health clubs.
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