The Gyro Monorail

It is pretty clear we are not zipping around in flying cars anytime soon. So the pressure shifts back to the ground. How do modern cities expand public transportation as populations grow?

Turkish engineering firm Dahir Insaat believes it has an answer. The company and chief inventor Dahir Semenov argue that gyroscope-equipped vehicles can unlock a new approach to urban transit.

What makes the “gyro monorail” idea compelling

A monorail is inherently space-efficient, but stability and ride confidence are always part of the mental model people have of “single rail” transport.

The promise of gyroscope stabilisation in this concept is straightforward. It aims to make a monorail-style vehicle feel stable and controllable even in compact, constrained city environments.

Why this shows up now in future-transport thinking

When a city cannot easily add lanes or widen corridors, transport concepts often converge on two goals.

  • Use less right-of-way per passenger moved.
  • Increase capacity without building entirely new infrastructure.

A gyro-based mono-track vehicle concept is attractive because it implies a narrower footprint than conventional rail while still signalling “mass transit,” not “one more car.”

What to watch if concepts like this move beyond prototypes

The difference between an inspiring transport concept and a deployable system is usually not the visual design. It is the operating model.

  • Safety case and redundancy. What happens under failure modes.
  • Maintenance reality. Sensors, moving parts, calibration, and uptime.
  • Network integration. Stations, boarding flow, accessibility, evacuation.
  • Total cost per passenger-km. The number that decides scale.

A few fast answers before you act

What is “The Gyro Monorail” in this post?

A future-transport concept from Turkish engineering firm Dahir Insaat and inventor Dahir Semenov, centred on gyroscope-equipped vehicles.

What problem is it trying to address?

How modern cities expand public transportation as populations grow, without relying on flying-car fantasies.

What is the big idea in one line?

Use gyroscope-equipped vehicles as a proposed answer for future public transportation.

What should leaders pressure-test first?

Safety and redundancy. Maintenance and uptime. Integration into stations and operations. Total cost at scale.

The Invisible Vending Machine

Since the time I started writing this blog, I have come across many innovative vending machines. Some I featured right here on Ramble.

Now to add to this collection, here is an invisible vending machine from Coca-Cola Turkey that becomes visible only when couples walk by. The machine was created specially for Valentine’s Day (last week) and was installed in Istanbul to spread happiness Coca-Cola style. 😎

Volkswagen Facebook Flipbook

You open a Facebook photo gallery called Amarok FlipDrive, click the first image, and keep the right arrow button pressed. The photos flip fast enough to feel like a running movie. A flipbook, built out of a Facebook album.

The reference point. A “commercial” powered by a Twitter feed

In April, Mercedes Smart in Argentina created the first of its kind Tweet Commercial using its Twitter stream. Now Volkswagen Amarok in Turkey has created the Facebook alternative.

The idea. An all-terrain truck that can even “drive” on Facebook

The Volkswagen Amarok is positioned as an ultimate all terrain vehicle. It can go everywhere. From the city to sand to water. With some creativity from McCann Erickson Istanbul, it can even go on Facebook.

How it works. 201 images in sequence

201 images that follow each other in sequence are uploaded to the Amarok FlipDrive Facebook photo gallery. Opening the first photo and keeping the right arrow button pressed makes the photos flip by fast and gives the effect of a running movie.

The reality check. Caching changes the experience

The flipbook experience is very jerky the first time, but once all the photos are cached, it plays as seen in the video below.


A few fast answers before you act

What is the Volkswagen Facebook Flipbook?
A Facebook photo gallery that behaves like a flipbook animation when you hold the right arrow key to move quickly through sequential images.

How many images are used?
201 images, uploaded in sequence.

What do you actually do as a user?
Open the first photo in the album and keep the right arrow button pressed to “play” the sequence.

Why does it feel jerky at first?
Because the images are not yet cached. Once cached, playback becomes smoother.

What is the broader pattern?
Using native platform mechanics. Streams, galleries, navigation keys. As the “media” layer for a social commercial.