Stabilizer adds course correction to bikes
Despite the fact that Japan is a leading manufacturer of cars, a lot of people there still ride bikes (check the bike racks outside any urban train station if you need proof), so it should come as no surprise that a team of private researchers and engineers at Osaka Prefecture University have come up with a stabilization system to make it easier to avoid tipping over when your bike swerves a little too much. The system uses a sensor placed under the seat that detects the bike's lean. If the bike tips a little too much to one side, the stabilizer can adjust the handlebars in the opposite direction to compensate. While the developers say they're working on this to aid the elderly, we know the real target market: salarymen returning from after-work binges who need a little extra help to make it from the train station back to their flats in one piece.
[Via TRFJ]
