Theories and Experiments for Gyro Monorails

It started with a red gyro monorail exhibited by Mr. Akio Inoue at the JAM Convention (International Railway Model Convention) in the summer of 2007. Dr. MORI, Hiroshi, a popular novelist, who once taught dynamics in a university, was consulted about the theories by Mr. Inoue, his mentor in the field of railway modeling. It inspired Dr. MORI to build it for himself. A gyro monorail runs on a single rail, while delicately keeping the balance. The mysterious view of the car turning curves fast once fascinated people, and it was researched as the “vehicle of the future” in the past. When Dr. MORI uploaded the video footage of his Prototype No. 9 on the Internet, inquiry e-mails and accesses flooded into his website. This eBook features his takes on the theories and experiments for gyro monorails. “How to Build a Simple Gyro Monorail” is also available. (This work first appeared on 2010 May and June issues of a Japanese monthly magazine “Hobby of Model Railroading” by Kigei Publishing.)