#####An ambitious attempt to make a ride-able bike based on the construction of Theo Jansen's "Strandbeest"#####
##What is a "Strandbeest"?## Theo Jansen (born 1948) is a Dutch artist. In 1990, he began what he is known for today: building large mechanisms out of PVC that are able to move on their own, known only as Strandbeest.
Jansen has been creating Strandbeest (Dutch: strand=beach; beest=beast), wind-walking examples of artificial life, since 1990. Constructed as intricate assemblages of piping, wood, and wing-like sails, Jansen's creations are constantly being improved and have become excellently adapted to their sandy beach environment. The creations sport legs, which "prove to be more efficient on sand than wheels...they don’t need to touch every inch of the ground along the way, as a wheel has to".
##The Bike## A while back, we found this video: Strandbeest Bike
Naturally, the immediate thought was: "Why can't we make one!?"
We're here to do just that. We intend to create a Strandbeest bike capable of carrying one or two riders. The particularly challenging aspect of the design will be to devise a way to steer the vehicle (e.g. skidsteering using a driver-engaged forward/neutral/reverse transmission on either side of the leg assembly)
##Baby Steps## At present, a conceptual design is in the making, starting with 3D-Printed prototypes for testing and proof-of-concept purposes.
###Ratios###
Below are the ratios used in Theo Jansen's starndbeest design. This is where we will begin.
###Driving Mechanism###
Check out the rest of this repository to see our work thus far!