An idea....

[DeusXM]

I have got very excited about an idea wot I has had.

I expect it's probably been already done before, but I want to share it anyway - and if someone knows where it's been done before, please point me in its direction!

Like many people, I find using an exercise bike or a treadmill very dull. It's a lot of flapping about to go nowhere in particular.

On the other hand, I like exploring new places. So much so, I quite like using Google Streetview to take a peek at places I've never been before.

Can you see where this is going now?

How amazing would it be to have a treadmill or bike with a screen on it, hooked up to Streetview, that changes the image as you exercise, like you're going for a virtual run or ride in that place? The faster you run, the faster you 'go' down the street you're viewing.

You could even have it so you'd have some handlebars or a little joystick on the front so you could 'turn'.

Has anyone done anything like this already, or do you think I should pop down the patent office?

[owlyn]

Fantastic idea! I would use it.

[davef]

Great idea, but if you are serious about the patent office then get this thread deleted now. If you put the idea in the public domain before filing for a patent then you won't get a patent!

That said, patents can be difficult to get, you have to prove it is a novel idea and not already done. While you can apply for a patent directly, it is often best to work with a Patent lawyer as they will be able to tell you if the idea is patentable.

[Penny]

I've often thought I would use my staionary bike more if I had something like that. Maybe a Wii game or something, so you could have a big screen. I do remember seeing something like it on TV, years ago, just can't remember details. Have you tried googling it?

[Ategeler]

Sounds like fun!

[foxl]

I am totally addicted to Google Earth!!!

I would love, love, love access to that for my bike.

Lose this thread and patent it, and make some bucks off it.

[AngelKitty]

DeusXM - brilliant is wot your idea is!
Seriously, I'd buy it.

[mrhodes]

That would be Awesome...Bike anywhere in the world. I agree, delete the thread and go for it! You only live once!

[soso]

I agree.. contact nintendo and get it done on the wii.. it is already wifi hooked up to t'internet..in fact just last night I was wondering what I could play on it from my exercise bike..

[notme]

I love google earth and use it a LOT. I would use the program if it were available.

[Mich]

I love the idea. I would buy the program also.

Good thinkin' Deus!

Mich

[mrhodes]

Just curious...We diabetic supporters will get a discount, Right????

[orpy]

Totally brilliant...we could all bike over to see each other...

[mrhodes]

Virtual biking with fellow DF'ers...AWESOME!!!

[A_Darling]

sorry to be the party pooper, but it's been done. I've seen the laptop version, and I've seen video of a similar setup in front of a large projection screen.

here's an example

The Ultimate Stationary Bike: KGS Bikes (http://www.kgsbikes.com/go/news/the-ultimate-stationary-bike)

[Penny]

I thought I had seen something like that, a long time ago. Which means you could sell the idea to Wii, or something like it. I would buy a wii game like that and I am cheap! :D

[Caravaggio]

That's a great idea.

Many treadmills on many decent gyms in Tokyo have games you can play and virtual places you can visit while on the treadmill. While on a treadmill, you use your hands to move your running virtual self on screen out of harm's way (monsters, dangerous roadblocks, falling stalactites and rising stalagmites, etc.). If you are not the gaming type, you can just watch yourself run a virtual road race in virtual Honolulu or other places. But your Google map idea is much better.

[ramlils]

Consider chatting to Google to get this going - "mash ups" using Google technology on your own site etc. Most property sites etc now days are using it. When looking at property, you can bring up Google Street View to view the street and local schools etc, or nearby shops. Great Idea!

[mrhodes]

Well let's turn that into a positive...Who wants to take a bike ride through the back hills of Jamaca this winter???:D

[kgm0612]

Well let's turn that into a positive...Who wants to take a bike ride through the back hills of Jamaca this winter???:D


I'll pass on Jamaica, but would bike through Grand Cayman, St. Lucia, or any other Carribean island for that matter! LOL

Karen

[buddy7]

Well let's turn that into a positive...Who wants to take a bike ride through the back hills of Jamaca this winter???:D

Nope! you'll be off that bike in no time, for the pot holes in the roads.

[A_Darling]

finally found the one I had seen before

http://www.racermateinc.com/images/img_compu_trainer.gif

RacerMate (http://www.racermateinc.com/computrainer.asp)

[Evermont]

I have a bunch of US and overseas patents so I'm very familiar with the process. A patent application has specific 'claims' which enumerate the novel aspects of the invention. If just one of your claims survives scrutiny you are awarded a patent. It's not uncommon at all for various existing and new patents to be similar or alike in some ways - no need to throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because someone else did something similar in the past is never a complete roadblock. Opportunity for novel invention always exists - the matter of whether it leads to a viable product, or even just marketable intellectual property is another matter.

As for deleting this thread -- the need for secrecy in the process, I wouldn't worry about that. Some posters here are already helping you work out how much is already in the public domain, what we call "prior art". A patent application has at least two important elements (in one way of looking at it). It has both the "what" of the idea, and the "how". your claims to novel aspects of the specific hows... that's the grunt work of inventing and you're not there yet.

If you're serious about inventing, I'm willing to provide a bit of mentoring. Just know that it's not like becoming an overnight sensation with a description of a concept like a drawing of a jazzy new car for example and the sales brochure that would come with it. It's more like hammering away in the garage for countless months to actually build the thing that goes down the road - then documenting the unique parts and practices that are embodied in that car. This of course requires knowing or at least making good guesses about what parts have never been done before, not a trivial task in itself, but one that I could expound on.

Let's start here: virtual bicycle - Google Patents (http://www.google.com/patents?q=virtual+bicycle&btnG=Search+Patents)

[Mich]

I would head for the Perigord region of France. It could be some tough going through the hill towns though...