Tag Archives: lift

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.06863

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada --- Men hold Alexander Graham Bell's kite glider, The Frost King. --- Image by © National Geographic Creative/Corbis

kites-16

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada --- An Alexander Graham Bell experimental kite flies above a field. --- Image by © Bell Collection/National Geographic Creative/Corbis

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada --- Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral kite is towed on the water. --- Image by © National Geographic Creative/Corbis

1904, St. Louis, Missouri, USA --- Alexander Graham Bell, the Scotsman who invented the telephone, experimented with giant man-carrying kites during the first decade of the 20th Century. --- Image by © Corbis

In 1899, Scottish American engineer Alexander Graham Bell, the man best known as the inventor of the telephone, began investigating the possibility of powered flight. To wit:

Inspired by the box kites of Australian [aeronautical pioneer] Laurence Hargrave, Bell began to multiply the lift-providing cells, creating compound structures of multiple kites.The basic problem of creating flying objects is that as a body’s surface area is squared, its weight is cubed, limiting the maximum size and lifting capability. Over the course of years experimenting at his Nova Scotia laboratory, Bell discovered that a tetrahedron — a three-dimensional prism of four triangular sides — could be useful.

READ ON: Bell’s Tetrahedral Kites (Mashable)

thisisntahappiness

Was it for lift?

Strident Tim writes:

P*** off BBC. How about doing something on your own prime minister getting his bits stuck between the mouth of a dead pig? Or Osborne and his (Redacted] with the hose pipe and [redacted] all night with [Redacted] on crystal meth…

FIGHT!

aeroxtopdesign-640x457 aeroxdesign-640x457

The Aero-X is a hoverbike capable of flying up to 3m off the ground at 60km/h. The concept has been in development for some years (the second piece of footage above is of an earlier 2012 prototype) but developer/manufacturer Aerofex plans to release a more streamlined design sometime in 2017 for around $85,000.

Naturally, you can pre-order.

Previously: This Is How We’re Getting Around From Now On

laughingsquid/worldsbestever

il_570xN.355314312_lhyp il_570xN.355319973_syzy il_570xN.355314866_i3wpThe Frame Handle, originally launched on Kickstarter and now available to buy for €27.72, is a simple, nifty and ergonomic way to heft your bike. Etsy seller Walnut Studio sez:

Most riders pick up their bike by the top tube, which requires you to bend your elbow at an uncomfortable angle. This causes strain on your elbow and shoulder and makes carrying your bike any distance feel awkward. Because it’s easier to lift a bike with the Frame Handle, you’re more in control when walking up stairs or in a crowded setting. The Frame Handle has two adjustable buckles. One that wraps around the down-tube and one around the seat-tube. It can be mounted above the derailleur and below most water bottle cages.

awesomer