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Magnetic Gadget Tricks Traffic Lights into Giving Bikers the Green
Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 10:30 AM on November 15, 2008
Instead of strapping a fat guy onto your bike, a new—smaller—gadget has been created for bikers who are tired of getting stuck at red lights due to their bike's weight. This device can trick traffic lights into believing the bike is actually a car by sending out a strong magnetic field, thus tripping the induction-loop sensors in the roads. However, because this gadget is still only a prototype, it currently isn't available to consumers, so don't rid of your personal fatty quite yet! [Wired]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
Paul Mulroney
Posted November 17, 2008 9:36 AM
Traffic lights are not activated by the weight of the vehicle. In the same paragraph you mention the induction loop which is what triggers the light.
Some_F-in-ShiT_Ass
Posted 12:59 PM 15/11/08
@PollockRoc: F-ing AMEN!!!!!!!!! I thought it was just me who hated these red-light / stop sign running assholes.....I saw one actually cause an accident and was furious, I'm all for people being cyclists etc. but they need to all obey the rules of the road if they are going to drive down the middle of it!! Whoo Hoo!!! Bravo on the post!!!!! Serioulsy!!!! They are dickheads! And they look like a buch of little sisses in the "Tour De France" wear biking costumes, LOL pansies!!!!
Never been a fan, definitely not. They ride around without a care in the world thinking they own the road because they are on bikes, then run stop sign n shit, screw them! LOLOLOL
Some_F-in-ShiT_Ass
Shai
Posted 12:47 PM 15/11/08
This kind of confuses me; I would think that an inductive coil would sense reluctance, or maybe it just looks for counter electromotive force.. I fail to see how a stationary metal object would be sensed, unless they have some kind of AC current... even then, how would you get coupling? You would need a huge amount of di/dt, considering the car isn't inside the coil, and it's buried underground.
If they used some kind of ac current and tried to track reluctance with it, I'm not sure how a magnet would affect it. Any physics majors here?
Shai
Fueco
Posted 12:47 PM 15/11/08
As a regular bike commuter, I must add my two pence here...
This is a non-issue if you ride a steel bike. I have no problem tripping lights, and have no need to run them either.
Morale of the story? Get off that fancy carbon fiber rig and get a tried-and-true steel framed bicycle. It's good for the soul anyway...
Fueco
Lite
Posted 12:43 PM 15/11/08
Great, so in this dismal economy even rent-fatties have to worry about being downsized? WTF Giz!
Lite
PollockRoc
Posted 12:42 PM 15/11/08
Or you could just be like the bicyclists where I live and just cruise on through the red lights. Goddamn assholes.
PollockRoc
fargi
Posted 12:39 PM 15/11/08
Sensors check for magnetic disturbance... don't use this lame excuse to keep you "personal fatty", it's not helping anyway.
fargi
ashtonisdrugfree
Posted 12:39 PM 15/11/08
Actually, since most of us here are gadget geeks and gizmo goobers there is a much cheaper and more geek-tastic way to trip lights. Find 2-4 old, dead, shitty hard drives. pop them open. there are 2 rather strong magnets in each. put them together and you have a "super" magnet. two of these "super" magnets are more than enough to trip pretty much any pesky traffic light. This works on most bikes and pretty much every scooter i've ever had.
ashtonisdrugfree
JediMasta
Posted 12:38 PM 15/11/08
Right, and this doesn't smell of rampant misuse, followed by horrible accidents and lawsuits.
JediMasta
Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->
Posted 12:38 PM 15/11/08
I think we had this story(or one similar) last Thursday or Friday. I remember commenting on it. And here I am again. WOOOOooooo.
Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->
TOWken
Posted 12:36 PM 15/11/08
Deja vu?
[gizmodo.com]
TOWken