MISTER
Encyclopedia
MISTER is a personal rapid transit
(PRT) system developed in Poland
. It belongs to the group of PRT systems using a carriage suspended by a rail, mounted so its bottom is approximately six metres above the ground.
Olgierd Mikosza, the inventor of the system, claims that switching rails at intersections will be done at full speed of about 50 km/h, with a minimum spacing of 10 m. In addition, adding new intersections and stops should require very little modification to the current network. The pod's carriage wheels descend to grab the side of a triangular structural truss. To switch to another direction, the wheels on the other side of the carriage descend to grab a track on the other side, and lift the first side away.
Considerable thought has gone into reducing the system's cost. The system reuses existing rights of way. The main tracks are about 10 metres (30 ft.) in the air, so that there is no interference with ground traffic, and the truss can go down the centre of a street. The triangular octahedral truss
that forms the track is strong, small, lightweight, sheds snow and is above floods. The tracks provide power, so that the vehicles have no heavy, expensive batteries. The design speed of 50 km/h (30 mph) is slow enough that aerodynamic loads are small. The main disadvantage of the pod design is that it is not very aerodynamic.
The pods ascend and descend at 45-degree angles, using a cogway on the truss. A hinge point at the top of the pod permits a level floor at all times. A small ramp at a station permits access by a wheelchair
, bicycle
or pallet jack
. Access to wheelchairs meets statutory requirements for disabled access. Access to pallet jacks permits revenues from pallets of light cargo, which in some cities can be quite profitable. Only a two by seven metre (7x20 ft.) area on the ground is needed for a minimal station. High traffic stations are possible by parking several pods at an angle to the street. These larger stations need only a five by fifteen metre area (16x50 ft.) to park five pods.
In the Uppsala video, the inventor claims that there is a further plan to disconnect the pod from the overhead rails, and operate it as a dual mode electric vehicle, permitting door-to-door operation.
Currently, Opole
and Rzeszów
are two cities in Poland involved in including MISTER in their public transit system. The cities did not buy the system, but rather gave permission to install it and collect revenues. The inventor is therefore seeking investors.
According to the Uppsala video, the system competed for the PRT installation to be done in Masdar City
, but lost the competition. The system has computer simulations of operations, and a prototype of the pod and rail, but the inventor thinks it probably lost because of its technical immaturity.
Personal rapid transit
Personal rapid transit , also called podcar, is a public transportation mode featuring small automated vehicles operating on a network of specially built guide ways...
(PRT) system developed in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It belongs to the group of PRT systems using a carriage suspended by a rail, mounted so its bottom is approximately six metres above the ground.
Olgierd Mikosza, the inventor of the system, claims that switching rails at intersections will be done at full speed of about 50 km/h, with a minimum spacing of 10 m. In addition, adding new intersections and stops should require very little modification to the current network. The pod's carriage wheels descend to grab the side of a triangular structural truss. To switch to another direction, the wheels on the other side of the carriage descend to grab a track on the other side, and lift the first side away.
Considerable thought has gone into reducing the system's cost. The system reuses existing rights of way. The main tracks are about 10 metres (30 ft.) in the air, so that there is no interference with ground traffic, and the truss can go down the centre of a street. The triangular octahedral truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
that forms the track is strong, small, lightweight, sheds snow and is above floods. The tracks provide power, so that the vehicles have no heavy, expensive batteries. The design speed of 50 km/h (30 mph) is slow enough that aerodynamic loads are small. The main disadvantage of the pod design is that it is not very aerodynamic.
The pods ascend and descend at 45-degree angles, using a cogway on the truss. A hinge point at the top of the pod permits a level floor at all times. A small ramp at a station permits access by a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
, bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
or pallet jack
Pallet jack
A pallet jack, also known as a pallet truck, pump truck, or jigger is a tool used to lift and move pallets.The front wheels are mounted inside the end of the forks, and as the hydraulic jack is raised, the forks are separated vertically from the front wheels, forcing the load upward until it clears...
. Access to wheelchairs meets statutory requirements for disabled access. Access to pallet jacks permits revenues from pallets of light cargo, which in some cities can be quite profitable. Only a two by seven metre (7x20 ft.) area on the ground is needed for a minimal station. High traffic stations are possible by parking several pods at an angle to the street. These larger stations need only a five by fifteen metre area (16x50 ft.) to park five pods.
In the Uppsala video, the inventor claims that there is a further plan to disconnect the pod from the overhead rails, and operate it as a dual mode electric vehicle, permitting door-to-door operation.
Currently, Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
and Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
are two cities in Poland involved in including MISTER in their public transit system. The cities did not buy the system, but rather gave permission to install it and collect revenues. The inventor is therefore seeking investors.
According to the Uppsala video, the system competed for the PRT installation to be done in Masdar City
Masdar City
Masdar is a project in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Its core is a planned city, which is being built by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, with the majority of seed capital provided by the government of Abu Dhabi...
, but lost the competition. The system has computer simulations of operations, and a prototype of the pod and rail, but the inventor thinks it probably lost because of its technical immaturity.