417.8 - Jetbikes

In the Age of Schism - 2000-2099, Private, high speed tunnels between some corp domes were bored. ICE vehicles were outlawed, so EV conversions were common place (2040-92) These roads had grids, to accomodate the massive amount of energy required to maintain this speed, and by 2060 most vehicles were maglev, with very few wheeled vehicles being made since they were only for used for surface travel.

Wheels in general were phased out by the end of the century with the popularisation of ionic thrust (EHD) propulsion, and Diamagnetic superconductors taking the place of maglev, to achieve the 900kmph+ speeds. These were safer, cheaper and more convenient than aircraft, and enabled interstate travel as a normal thing that took around an hour to get from Sydney to Melbourne. While remote work was commonplace, it meant that a boarded employee could live in a Brisbane dome and attend a 10am in person meeting in Melbourne with no problems.

This technology trickled down to smaller roads, which were often constucted underground, or otherwise covered (to prevent decay). This meant that EVs could operate on most newer roads without the need for heavy and inefficient batteries.

Once private high speed roads were created, most purely wheeled vehicles disappeared, though dual motive designs still existed for a while. Some military and law enforcement designs developed towards the end of the century which had EHD for levitation allowing the vehicles to go off the road entirely. The most popular being a "jet bike". The off road range was limited however, usually using grid charged batteries - being around 50-100km. This also became commonplace for corpo sentinals private security, and the gangs by using black market nanofabs, or via cold trade.

Most Exodome activities still used larger wheeled or tracked vehicles, often with hydrogen fuel cells, and later, Thermo electric generators 's (TEGs) instead of grid charged batteries. Hydrogen generators or minireactors (microreactors are 3x3x6m in 2020) were used for remote locations, and some still exist in museums to this day.

People actually owned vehicles for personal use in the 2000's and this contributed to reaching the threshold as soon as we did. Much different than today where you just call a ride when you need to get somewhere - of course that doesnt count for the (Subfactions: Dome Dweller Hunter, Corpo Archeolytics, and AI Surveyors) that need to go outside the dome, but they use specialist equipment that mostly cant be printed any more.

Renders below

This is of course an open work as described by Eco, U. (1989) . This is unfinished, but also this base form can branch into a number of different iterations. It can have non ribbed pipes, or they can be removed entirely, or the eagle can be removed (or it can be a different hood ornament all together). Add some guns! An upright cruiser style seat, or a more forward position of a race seat. with different components for configuration by the player.

I designed this using sharp angles, and mimiced the appearance of a shark, as the bike is used by law enforcement and sub faction called Hunters, it's appearance was designed to intimidate. The addition of an eagle as a oversized hood ornament is a statement about over corporatization, showing how important it is for the the buyers of this compensation machine to be repping democracy, and is partially satirising americans, while being an hommage to Judge Dredd's Lawmaster

It's back swept angles give the impression of speed and this is enhanced by painting it red (red goes faster). Once finished, it's intended as an open work, for the player to select different components when they aquire one (they nanofabricate these, like a giant 3D printer). Or to be randomised for NPCs, to give more variety.

Semiotic review:

Red - Fast, Elegant, power, danger, vitality, boldness, blood. In chinese culture, this means good luck and prosperity. In western culture this can symbolise either love, or anger. In Australia, this is the colour of the Outback.

Eagle - power, vision, forsight. In USA culture, this symbolises democracy, in Native American culture this is a sacred animal with spiritural significance. In Australia, the Wedge Tailed eagle, or Bunjil was a wise and just guardian of the people, and helped create the rivers mountains and forests.

Chrome - Modernity, futurism, luxury, strength, clean.

Angles - Precision, Order, Movement, Harmony.

Shark - power, survival, danger, menace

Eco, U. (1989). The open work (A. Cancogni, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1962). https://monoskop.org/images/6/6b/Eco_Umberto_The_Open_Work.pdf

Chandler, D. (2017). Semiotics: The basics (3rd ed.). Routledge.