Hasta La Ideas

Even though I live in America, I never saw as many monster trucks anywhere in the ‘States as I did in Reyjkavik. For drivers who need to navigate the Icelandic hinterlands, owning a pickup truck converted to drive man-height tires is more practical concern than pissing contest. Sure, they looked silly and inconvenient in the city, but it was a trade-off everyone was apparently fine with.

So I wonder if the Track N Go would gain any traction in Iceland. This has to be the coolest off-road conversion I’ve ever seen, because it’s completely reversible and only takes fifteen minutes. Check out how it drives:

Before we get to how they put them on, the following video, narrated in French, gives you a good look at an individual Track N Go (and gives you a sense of how heavy it is):

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When I was still a motorist, I always owned small cars, and if I were to return to that mode of transportation, I probably will again. Maneuverability in NYC traffic and the all-important parallel-parkability are important to me, as is the fuel economy. But the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is revealing some ugly facts that I don’t want to confront.

I suppose it’s common sense that a smaller car has less mass and oughtn’t do as well as a larger car in a crash test, but seeing the actual footage is freaking terrifying. In the overlap crash test, where the barrier is offest and allows force to be concentrated on one corner of the car rather than distributed across the entirety of the front structure, the results look pretty grim:

If you’ve got a small car and want to see how your specific model did, the IIHS has posted their analysis and safety chart here, and they’ve broken the videos out individually here. Just be warned that you may not want to watch the latter.

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The Black Edition of DESKA Board’s three-wheeled hybrid rider is as artistic as it is thrilling. It features the same hand-brake controls, large go-anywhere wheels, and unique “FootBelt” system for jumps and high-speed turns… but with its carbon/kevlar sandwich structure and banded convex shape, it’s more strong and versatile than ever. Get the new look here!

Designer: DESKA Board

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Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(DESKA Board – The Black Edition was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Much like the life-saving iPhone app we featured last March, the Gabriel car set was created in a bit of an unconventional way. Similarly so, the idea that was unveiled can help prevent a multitude of accidental deaths for years to come. Last July, Opel—a car manufacturer based in Germany—conducted a competition calling for designers and car drivers to come up with ideas for new options to be hosted in Opel’s cars. One designer came up with a concept that helps drivers keep tabs on the car’s interior temperature in case a child is left inside.

The statistics are scary—an average of 20 children in Europe die from car-induced heatstroke every year, according to Opel. Add that to the 38 deaths on average in the U.S. each year, and we’ve got a problem long overdue for a solution.

They received over 1,350 ideas and cut that list down to 70 designs. The winner: Kenny de Vlieger, proud father of two sons. His design features a keychain that’s wirelessly connected to a pressure- and temperature-sensitive pad inside the car. In a collaboration with LDV United, Zenso and Achilles Design, de Vlieger and Opel made his design a reality.

Kenny de Vlieger and his family

de Vlieger calls his device a guardian angel of sorts—and rightly so, considering the lives it can save. This video goes more in-depth on the ins and outs of the design:

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LUMA is a three-wheeled vehicle powered by human muscle! Similar to a step-cycle, users simply use the platform for each foot to set the trike in motion. The three-wheeled design is super-stable, safe and easy to operate, making it a great fitness option for users of any age or physical ability.

Designer: Bart Zimny

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Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(This is not a bike. was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

1. Bike for Power!
2. A New Way to Bike
3. Design Your Own Bike