It has two facing seats; it drives itself. It’s brilliant! And also doable
This thing is named "motorcycle" only because we are used to calling a motorized two-wheeled vehicle this way. But Cyclotron is not that thing; it's much more than that.
For a start, it has a cabin – and not just an arcade-over-your-head type of roof, but a well-insulated cabin, with butterfly doors on both sides. It drives itself and is capable of keeping stable even when fully stopped. Naturally, is fully electric.
The whole package seems totally sci-fi, but most of its features already have applications in real world. Building a two-wheeled vehicle with an enclosed cabin is not impossible at all, and autonomous technology is expanding throughout the auto industry at an impressive pace, so the self-driving part is also feasible.
The challenge – you'd think – is to create a steady-even-when-stopped two-wheeled vehicle. But guess what: it has already been done.
It's called C1, a prototype from San Francisco-based Lit Motors. It features two gyroscopes that keep the two-wheeled two-seater constantly upright.
In production form, the C1 weighs 900 pounds, reaches 60 mph in around six seconds and accelerates up to 120 mph. Oh, and the electric range is nothing but impressive: it can roam a distance up to 220 miles before going out of juice. And it can be recharged at a household outlet in four (to six) hours.
I see only one problem with the Cyclotron: the two facing seats. As 33% (to up to 66%) of the population suffers from the vestibular system sensitivity called "motion sickness," the seat facing backward will be used as a footrest.
While we're here, I wonder how a Cyclotron – featuring a multi-position recliner instead – would look like?
(photo credit: Ashish Thulkar)