Monocab: "individual Local Public Transport" Pods That Ride Disused Railway Lines
Monocab is a new form of transportation that makes use of existing infrastructure. Conceived of by German design engineer Thorsten Försterling, the idea is that rural areas of Europe, which often lack public transportation options, could have their disused railway lines populated by these autonomous on-demand passenger pods.
"The MONOCAB is a gyroscopically stabilized monorail: self-propelled cabins for 4-6 passengers travel in both directions on a single rail. Because they are so compact that they can pass each other in opposite directions - like a paternoster in constant circulation."
"Like taxis, they can be ordered for individual trips to the village or city. Simply via the app, around the clock, 365 days a year. Individual, automated – and 'on demand' instead of what feels like eternal waiting times for the rare country bus."
Development of the Monocabs is being undertaken in collaboration between the OWL University of Technology, the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, a research institute. The project has EU funding and is being hailed by its developers as "individual local public transport."
While the finished pods will self-balance on a single rail, for now the prototypes are being tested with an outrigger that connects to the second rail.
The explanatory video below is narrated in German, but you can turn on English subtitles:
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