Google gave the Shweeb $1,000,000. | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

The Shweeb is a bicycle-like monorail invention that Google awarded one million dollars to as a potential public transit solution, but it ended up being a novelty ride for tourists instead.

Key Insights

• 🚀 Google awarded significant funding to five projects in 2010 as part of their tenth-anniversary celebrations, including the Shweeb, a prototype that aimed to revolutionize public transit. The Shweeb is essentially a bicycle on a monorail that can reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
• 🌍 The original intention was to develop the Shweeb into a transportation system, but it found more success as an attraction in an adventure park. The electric components of the pods are off-the-shelf, while the rest is built internally in Rotorua, New Zealand.
• 🛠 The design of the Shweeb faced challenges, such as the inability to overtake slower riders or handle uphill or downhill terrain effectively. The marketing suggests using contact with the front pod to push it along and create a train of interconnected pods.
• 🚲 Separated bike lanes are seen as a more practical and cost-effective alternative to the Shweeb as a future of public transit. Bike lanes can accommodate more people, reach further distances, require less maintenance, and allow overtaking.
• 💡 The Shweeb attracted media skepticism and did not achieve its potential as a global public transit solution. The original owners sold the intellectual property, and the focus shifted to creating more franchises for the ride experience rather than a transportation system.
• 🎢 Despite its drawbacks, the Shweeb remains a popular attraction for individuals of all ages, providing a retro-futuristic experience of pedaling a monorail pod.
• 💰 The Shweeb received one million dollars in funding from Google, inspiring curiosity about the decision-making process and the future potential of the project. However, contacting the original inventor has proven difficult, and it is essential to respect their privacy.
• 🤔 The prospect of investing time and effort into an invention that ultimately becomes a novelty ride for tourists may lead to mixed feelings for the inventor. Constant queries about a project's perceived failure may be frustrating.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did the Shweeb go from a potential public transit solution to a novelty ride in an adventure park?

Despite Google's investment and initial optimism, the Shweeb could not overcome design and functionality drawbacks, leading it to become a novelty ride instead. The Shweeb's limitations, such as the inability to overtake slower riders or navigate track switches, made it impractical for a public transit system.

Q: What were the challenges faced by the Shweeb in its development?

The Shweeb faced challenges in its development, including the need for adaptations such as electric pedal assists and brakes. The design also raised concerns about safety, complexity, and the lack of practicality for certain situations, such as when wearing a skirt.

Q: Why did Google invest one million dollars in the Shweeb?

Google saw potential in the Shweeb as a revolutionary public transit solution. They believed it could change the world and awarded one million dollars to support its development and further studies to evaluate its feasibility.

Q: What are the alternative options to the Shweeb for public transit?

Instead of the Shweeb, cities could invest in building separated bike lanes. These lanes can handle more people, reach further distances, cost less, require minimal maintenance, and allow for overtaking. Separated bike lanes are considered a more practical and efficient option compared to the Shweeb.

Q: What became of the original inventors and their plans for the Shweeb?

The original inventors of the Shweeb sold the intellectual property and rights to the Shweeb to a company in New Zealand. Despite the novelty ride's success in an adventure park, the inventors' original plans to turn it into a functioning public transit system did not materialize.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Google awarded one million dollars to the Shweeb, a bicycle-like monorail invention, as a potential public transit solution.

• The Shweeb is now a novelty ride in an adventure park and has faced design and functionality drawbacks.

• Despite the initial optimism, the Shweeb did not become the future of public transit and instead remains a fun but impractical attraction.