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Grasshopper cycle

Trying to leap to a conclusion...
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I thought this was discussed or documented somewhere in the bakery, but I've been unable to find evidence of it.

If it turns out that this idea has been posted I'll delete this unless there's sufficient engineering difference to warrant this remaining as a legitimate variant.

Resembling the lovechild of a mountain bike and a robotic grasshopper, the bike stands securely balanced between the forelegs and hindlegs of the linkaged legs and feet, which serve as both launch mechanisms and shock absorbers for the landing.

The Grasshopper Cycle stores energy via woundup springsteel coils. The brave pilot holds the handlebars and furiously cranks away on the footpedals while the ratchet mechanisms increment the motive force to the coil springs.

When the coilsprings have had as much winding as they can take, a warning alarm sounds, alerting both the pilot and any foolish bystanders of imminent launch. The pilot takes his seat, and presses the release button, triggering the rapid unwinding of the coilsprings.

The energy unleashed is transmitted to the legs, which turn it into an explosive single kick. Direction of the vehicle is controlled by the handlebars which preset the linked tillers to the front-and-rear leg pairs.

When the vehicle alights after it's mighty bound, the pilot sets his direction and immediately resumes pedaling to store energy for the next leap.

I don't know whether to hope that we can't find prior art or hope that we can.

normzone, Mar 24 2011

archive.org: rcarty account, see grasshopper cycle http://replay.wayba...ery.com/user/rcarty
[rcarty, Mar 24 2011]

Direct link http://replay.wayba...Grasshopper_20Cycle
[rcarty, Mar 24 2011]

Bizike Bizike
This is the one I was thinking of...another [rcarty] creation! [pocmloc, Mar 24 2011]

Bug Gears http://news.nationa...nsect-legs-science/
soon there will be grasshoppper cycles! [rcarty, Sep 13 2013]

a link back to the idea that brought me here hopter
thanks norm. I like this [pashute, Aug 21 2019]


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Annotation:







       It was one of mine. Yeah that was a sweet dream. I deleted the account it belonged to.   

       It's sweet to read both versions, because there is some simulacra from memory.
rcarty, Mar 24 2011
  

       You missed out "finds the vehicle, then" in between "pilot" and "sets" in the last paragraph.
MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 24 2011
  

       Yes it was an incoherent idea on here a few weeks ago.
pocmloc, Mar 24 2011
  

       Okay...I was not imagining it. That's good to know...or bad, depending on your viewpoint.   

       I'm still confused, though.   

       Why would somebody delete an account?   

       Is it one of the ideas that is on the [rcarty] account that the link leads to?   

       And should I delete this idea?   

       After leaving it here long enough to make somebody else remember it and not be able to find it?   

       Good point, [Max], but that's simply an engineering problem to be resolved with velcro and medication.
normzone, Mar 24 2011
  

       //Why would somebody delete an account//   

       Probably the earliest impetus for humans to construct anything was to destroy it. I'm a lot like primitive humans in that respect.   

       //...rcarty acount that the link leads to?//   

       yes.   

       //delete this idea//   

       no. that earlier idea no longer exists in the halfbakery.   

       //after leaving it here long enough to have somebody remember it, not be able to find it//   

       sorry I'm a selfish a-hole ok. If I had a time-machine I would make a specific trip back in time using 1.21 gigawatts that could have been spent in fighting dinosaurs just to stop myself from deleting the account.
rcarty, Mar 24 2011
  

       If you are I hadn't noticed it, don't sell yourself short. You graciously shared the original idea and this echo of it.   

       Thanks for letting me leave it. Feel free to reconfigure it for reliability or danger.   

       (edit) I'm not finding it in that list of ideas. Is this one of those Twilight Zone things, where I'll never find it and keep looking?
normzone, Mar 24 2011
  

       linked
rcarty, Mar 24 2011
  

       Interesting.   

       That is similar to what I remember, but the memory I have originates in a time frame about a year ago. I know I've been trying to locate the idea for almost that long.   

       I've probably just slid between alternate universes again. In the one I just came from, your idea was older, had garnered a lot more annos and popular acceptance.
normzone, Mar 24 2011
  

       Sounds like I might want to visit there sometime.   

       We seem to suffer from the same affliction of idée fixe. Incidentally, as I recall, it helped precipitate the deletion of that account, because there were some ideas that I couldn't stop thinking about: I needed to have them.
rcarty, Mar 24 2011
  

       The news! Check the news sceintists just discovered the secret to constructing the grasshopper cycle! (Link)
rcarty, Sep 13 2013
  


 

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