As part of Google’s Project 10 to 100, they’ve donated $1 million dollars to Shweeb, a company that wants to make an eco-friendly, human-powered monorail. The project sorted 150,000 ideas from over 170 countries, narrowing it down to 16 final ideas, which were then voted on by the public. In the end, Google donated a total of $10 million to five winning projects, working on global issues. Shweeb won for driving innovation in public transport.
The human-powered pods on the monorail are intended for short to medium distances in urban settings. Google’s $1 million will fund research and development to test the “recumbent cycling technology.” Basically, Shweeb puts humans in clear pods which are then powered by people kicking their legs as if they were on a bicycle. The original adventure ride concept system is situated at Agroventures Park in Rotorua, New Zealand.
See a video of it here:
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