Alternative, ecologically-friendly transportation is getting a lot of lip service this days, but we rarely see these ideas come to fruition. Next in the line of dreamers? The Shweeb transportation system, a pedal-powered recumbent bicycle capsule that hangs from a rail (all right, that wasn't a great description; watch the video above to get a better idea).
Google recently invested $10.5 $1.05 million in the system after Shweeb placed in the top five of the , in which there were 150,000 applicants from 170 countries, reports . The competition was for ideas that would “make the world a better place.”
Shweeb's initial facility is outside Rotorua, New Zealand, where thrill-seekers can travel around the track at 25 miles-per-hour. An estimated 30,000 people have ridden on the Shweeb system.
The company plans to use the money to build a showcase system in the northern hemisphere, where there is more demand for public transportation.
What do you think? Will we be Shweebing our way to work soon?
–Will Taylor