Gyro-stabilized Monorail Concept
Some experimentation with a monorail
vehicle that is stabilized by gyroscopes has been conducted
recently that is particularly interesting in that it could
drastically reduce the size of the guideway needed, thereby
cutting the costs of such systems significantly. The
experimental vehicle has been operated on just two wheels, as
opposed to the straddle-beam monorail that has been deployed
in several parts of the world. Half as many wheels and
smaller axles can contribute to weight reduction. In the
envisioned monorail, the stability comes from the gyros, not
the vehicle weight. It should be noted that
gyro-stabilization has been used aboard ocean-going ships for
some time with excellent results.
Written material and a video have been produced to
describe this concept in more detail (see
Executive Summary by Louis Swinney). A website is also
under development and will be available soon. In the
meantime, persons interested in learning more about this
concept can contact
James Roberts .
Last modified: April 15, 1998