Pyocotan has a great idea with their “Noriko-san”, a mask that’s designed for napping commuters. But it has one big drawback. It relies on the kindness of other humans around you. The idea is this: If you’ve got a long commute on a train, you are probably tired and want to nap. But you don’t want to miss your stop and be late for work. It blocks light and lets you rest, with a display in front that shows what stop you plan on getting off at.

That’s where your fellow humans come in. These people around you can wake you up when you approach your stop, should you be in dreamland. Sadly, that’s why this device is doomed to fail. Lets face it, people suck. Half of them would leave you bleeding if you got stabbed. BUT it’s a great idea and who knows, maybe it would encourage some interaction.

Named Blade Runner, this concept has nothing to do with chasing replicants. It’s a bus/train concept from British firm Silvertip Design. It will drive on roads just like other normal wheeled vehicles, but it also sports a set of retractable train-wheels that it can deploy to ride the rail lines. It looks like something that should be dueling with KITT on the open road. It’s supposed to carry 105 standing and sitting people and could well be a nice solution to long commutes. The fact that it straddles both the rails and the streets makes it very promising.

The price of gas being what it is, and considering what it will reach, suddenly all kinds of personal transport concepts are looking more promising. Take the Electric Bike Train for instance. In a world of skyrocketing gas prices, it’s the perfect electric bike for an entire large family.

It’s designed by Jiang Qian, and while I can’t find anything about just how many bikes can be linked up, I would guess quite a few. The front wheel connects to the two rear tires of the next unit. See, even when gas is unaffordable, you can still listen to your kids bitch and whine and ask “Are we there yet?”.