South-Korean product designer Hanyoung Lee has come up with a safety device that could make traffic lights obsolete, or at least improve their effectiveness. His so-called Virtual Wall is designed for busy city streets. Instead of showing a red light when it’s time for pedestrians to cross the street, Lee’s Wall projects a curtain-like, two-dimensional image of giant people crossing the street. The real pedestrians walk behind their virtual counterparts.
Lee’s design—which hasn’t made it off the drawing board yet—works thanks to a stack of laser projectors installed in poles on opposites sides of the street. Digital renderings of the Wall can be found on Yanko Design, and while there’s no word on an actual prototype, the device would likely cost more than traditional traffic lights. Thus, any city thinking of commissioning a Virtual Wall might consider flashing advertising messages over the heads of the virtual pedestrians in order to help offset the system’s cost. Another potential issue might be how to activate the Wall so as not to startle motorists approaching an intersection.
We generally don’t feature concepts that haven’t yet made it to market, but this one seems to present a host of business opportunities, as well as great PR potential for the first cities that implement it. Besides halting traffic at intersections, the projected images could be used to direct crowds at large events or form temporary virtual fences to warn motorists that road construction crews are working nearby. And how about smart deer crossing walls, that can both detect and project oncoming deer?
Website: www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2008/04/21/cant-cross-a-virtual-wall
Contact: hanyoungs@gmail.com
Spotted by: Harry van Praag
There are plenty of fractional jet ownership plans out there in which participants buy a certain amount of usage time, much like a real-estate time share. Through a new program from JetSuite, however, customers buy the whole plane and get paid for the time they aren't using it.
JetSuite's ownership program is designed to let customers enjoy the luxury and convenience of owning a private jet without the prohibitive costs, liability, regulatory risks and operational hassles. With a down payment and an asset-secured note, each customer takes ownership of a brand-new USD 3.4 million Embraer Phenom 100—a very light jet with a range of up to 1,200 statute miles and a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet. With that price comes a set number of hours of use each year for free; additional hours can be purchased at a discount. JetSuite, meanwhile, takes care of all the regulatory requirements, aircraft maintenance, hangar facilities, and even hiring and training of pilots. The most interesting part, however, is that when the owner isn't using their plane, JetSuite charters it to someone who does, and the revenue from that—JetSuite guarantees at least USD 25,000 per month—goes back to the owner.
Las Vegas-based JetSuite was launched last week by Alex Wilcox, who was also a founding member of both JetBlue and Kingfisher Airlines. He explains: "We're taking the hassle, expense and surprises out of private jet ownership. What's more, with the Phenom, you get all the comfort with less than half the fuel burn of the most popular charter aircraft.''
JetSuite expects to begin operations next April, focusing at first on the southwestern and western US and later rolling out nationwide. It is interested in partnership possibilities; one to work with in the skies near you? Or consider applying the concept to other categories. (Related: Fractional supercar ownership.)
Website: www.jetsuite.com
Contact: info@jetsuite.com
Spotted by: Peter Yu
The Retriever is a two-wheeled towing vehicle based on a Honda Goldwing motorcycle that can worm its way through city gridlock and congested highways like no four-wheeled towing vehicle could ever dream of. The Retriever is the ingenious invention of the aptly named Swedish firm Coming Through. According to the company, it takes a little over a minute to convert from a nimble motorcycle to a towing device powerful enough to haul most passenger cars. The Retriever’s driver simply extracts a folded bracket stored behind the motorcycle’s high back seat and then hitches the car’s front end to the bracket.
As a business venture, a towing service based on the Retriever could take a little more time to set up, however. Throughout the world, towing firms compete under various schemes for the right to rescue cars stalled on public roads. Police are often the authorities who order a tow truck on the scene, and they would need to be sold on the Retriever’s ability to handle the job. And some accident-damaged cars might require a heftier vehicle to haul them away. That said, the Retriever’s ability to rescue a vehicle and quickly unsnarl traffic could make it a hit. So the real opportunity might be for distributors who could sell Retrievers either to private companies or public road authorities. (Related: Motorcycle taxis rescue stranded business travellers.)
Website: www.comingthrough.se
Contact: info@comingthrough.se
Spotted by: Lilia Parra Ledesma
It's a fact of life in the business world that companies in urban areas tend to require frequent, small deliveries of merchandise and other goods from the city outskirts and beyond. That's a recipe for inefficiency, traffic congestion and pollution, as so many delivery trucks make their way in and out of town with partial loads again and again. French La Petite Reine has come up with an alternative, greener approach to business deliveries by using truck-sized cargo bikes instead.
La Petite Reine maintains a fleet of about 60 Cargocycles for hire by businesses that need to make small to medium-sized urban deliveries over a distance of up to 30 km. Weighing only 80 kg (as opposed to a tonne or more for most delivery vans), each Cargocycle can transport about 180 kg of merchandise in its 1,400-liter cargo space. (For larger loads, La Petite Reine also has electric trucks suitable for deliveries that size.) Cargocycles' small footprint lets them travel anywhere on the roadways, including bus and bike lanes, and they can park easily between two cars. Cargocycle deliveries are faster than those made via traditional truck, and also 10 to 20 percent less expensive, La Petite Reine says. Perhaps most significant, however, is that they are completely nonpolluting—in terms of both emissions and noise. Cargocycles are also available for lease or sale, as well as for advertising space and use at special events.
Paris-based La Petite Reine was founded in 2001, and has since expanded to Bordeaux, Rouen, and Dijon. It now makes some 2,500 deliveries every day for clients including DHL, ColiPoste and Monoprix. The company is interested in signing up franchise partners--one to bring to an urban area near you?
Website: www.lapetitereine.com
Contact: contact@lapetitereine.com
Spotted by: Pavi Ani
Consumers travelling by plane are increasingly faced with flight delays and cancellations, which is why a new start-up aims to help them spot potential delays. Much the way Farecast predicts whether ticket prices are tending up or down, Delaycast can now tell travellers the chance of encountering delays on a particular trip.
Delaycast was established to provide information about possible difficulties in flight itineraries and to give travellers realistic expectations about their travel plans. Unlike the historical flight performance statistics found on many travel sites, Delaycast uses predictive modelling technologies that model historical patterns in flight delays and project them into the future. Its Delay Profiles tool provides broad overviews of the best days, times and airlines to choose for a trip, based on selected airports, while its Delay Predictions tool provides information about delays and cancellations for specific airports, airlines, dates and times. The site does pretty well, too, with accuracy within 15 minutes of actual performance between 80 and 90 percent of the time, it says. The ad-supported site features direct links to travel planning tools like Travelocity and Priceline, and is free to use for consumers.
Delaycast launched into beta early this year, and currently includes just the top 60 US airports and 11 key airlines. It also makes predictions for trips only about four or five months into the future. Looking forward, however, it hopes to expand its coverage of airports and airlines, as well as adding predictions for security checkpoint wait times and updating predictions within 24 hours of a flight based on real-time conditions. Delaycast currently covers only the United States; who will bring this to the rest of the travel-weary world?
Website: www.delaycast.com
Contact: contact01@delaycast.com
Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
Gas prices, urban congestion and environmental concerns have brought about a veritable renaissance in bicycle riding, as we've noted before, spawning initiatives like citywide bike-rental schemes and bank-sponsored bike-sharing programs, among others. A trend we haven't yet highlighted, however, is the growing number of urban bike stations.
The most recent example we've spotted just opened in New Zealand. Located in the Britomart in Auckland (a public transport hub), BikeCentral offers bicycling enthusiasts and commuters a welcoming place to park their bikes and transition into the next part of their day. In addition to safe, secure bicycle parking, BikeCentral members have access to private lockers, showers and changing areas. Coffee, fresh food and free wireless internet are also available, as are rental bicycles and an on-site repair service for minor repairs. All-inclusive rates start at NZD 25 per week.
Chicago's McDonald's Cycle Center at Millennium Park, which launched in 2004, is a 16,448-square-foot heated facility that includes free indoor parking for 300 bikes, showers and lockers, bicycle rental and repair, and a café. A monthly membership pass costs USD 20. Finally, on the West Coast, Bikestation is a not-for-profit organization that offers secure bicycle parking and more. Stations in five California cities plus Seattle offer a variety of services including bicycle rentals and repair, showers and lockers as well as 24-hour secure bike parking. Monthly fees are USD 12.
The way things are going, demand for centers like these will only increase. And how a combination of bike stations and shared working spaces? Help consumers reduce their carbon footprints, help the planet, and help yourself to some well-deserved profits!
Website: www.bikecentral.co.nz — www.chicagobikestation.com — www.bikestation.org
Contact: info@bikecentral.co.nz — info@chicagobikestation.com — info@bikestation.org
Spotted by: Roanne Parker
Companies with innovative approaches to staid industries need to move quickly in order to maintain their lead, even after they’ve become firmly established. A good example is Zipcar. The US-based car sharing venture with operations in North America and the UK first appeared on our radar in 2003. Back then, we applauded the company’s disruptive, car-on-demand service that appealed to consumers more interested in using a vehicle than owning it.
A little over four years later, as we detailed last April, a partnership with another industry disruptor—ParkAtMyHouse—made it easier for Zipcar’s customers to find a place to park. (ParkatMyHouse lets homeowners rent their coveted urban parking spaces by the hour or the day.) A few months later we wrote that a new Zipcar service enabled renters with GPS phones to access directions to the nearest car, wherever they happened to be.
And the latest Zipcar news? The company is further broadening its customer base by partnering with AKA, a provider of luxury furnished suites that currently operates nine locations in the US, with one to follow in the UK later this year. Customers of the high-end “pied-à-terre on demand” chain are given a free one-year Zipcar membership (the company’s hourly rates still apply). After applying online, guests can pick up the digital key-card to their Zipcar at the front desk of any AKA property. A smart move, since extended stay guests in big cities are a logical fit for the car sharing service. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that getting out in front of the other guys early is only half the battle—the pressure is always on to improve and innovate.
Website: www.zipcar.com — www.hotelaka.com
Contact: info@zipcar.com — www.hotelaka.com/contact.aspx
Spotted by: RK
As the environmental consequences of driving cars become ever more clear, consumers are increasingly aware of the benefits of alternative modes of transportation. Walkit is a website that promotes the power of walking as a healthier way to get around.
Walkit's goal is to help consumers make more informed decisions about whether they choose to walk for all, or part, of any given journey. The UK-based site currently offers walking routes for London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Newcastle/Gateshead, and plans to cover all the UK's major cities by the end of this year. Users looking for walking routes simply enter their starting location and desired destination, along with whether they prefer the most direct route or the least busy one; there's also an option to request a route "via" some other spot along the way. Thanks to a feature just added earlier this month, users going through inner London can request "fresh air" routes with the lowest pollution as well. Either way, Walkit then supplies the user with a detailed map and written directions, including distance, walking time, the number of calories burned and the carbon dioxide avoided by walking rather than riding in a car, taxi or bus.
Walkit first launched in London in late 2006, and over the course of 2007 it received more than 440,000 visits and generated nearly 670,000 walking routes. Glasgow is reportedly next on its list, and discussions are apparently also under way across the Atlantic in Boston. The site is supported by ads and sponsorships, including on-map icons and store locators.
It's pretty safe to say demand will only increase for alternative ways to get around, and there's no cheaper alternative than walking. Why not help consumers in a city near you rediscover the power of their own two feet? (Related: Downloadable shopping maps.)
Website: www.walkit.com
Contact: feedback@walkit.com
Spotted by: Mark Boreland
