Can New Inventions Be Recession Proof?

Can New Inventions Be Recession Proof?

The Ariens Company in Wisconsin has been making lawnmowers for more than 50 years. Now it has made the first battery-powered, riding lawnmower for the mass market. The AMP Rider is only half as loud as gas-powered models, doesn't pollute, requires no oil and rides more smoothly. Recharging it will cost about $40 a year - about one-fifth the cost of running and maintaining a gasoline version. Yes, the Ariens Company has made an environmentally friendly grass cutter; but at $3300 - hundreds more than comparable gas models - they may have to make a price cutter too. Price wasn't an object when Carbon Motors built a prototype for a high-tech police car, based on suggestions from more than 3,000 law enforcement professionals. The E7 has a 300-horsepower diesel engine that enables it to go from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph. Among its features are bullet-resistant panels in the doors and dash, push bumpers incorporated into the aluminum frame, flashing lights which are visible from all angles, an ergonomic cockpit, a computer with voice command and instant license plate recognition and integrated shotgun mounts. The only thing the E7 doesn't have is - a price. Hawkes Ocean Technologies didn't think about price when it invented a submersible that can fly under water. The Deep Flight Super Falcon looks like a fighter jet - with 2 seats, 2 sets of wings and 2 tail fins. This battery-powered craft can stay under water up to 5 hours, dive to 1,500 feet and travel at speeds up to 6 knots. The base price for the Super Falcon is $1.3 million, the 3-day course to be an underwater pilot is $17,000 and a half-day ride-along is $5500. Even in a down economy there is obviously a wealthy sub-culture. For the not-so-wealthy General Motors and Segway have partnered on a prototype electric vehicle that seats 2 people and can go 35 mph. Although the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility - PUMA - has been described as a hideous, two-wheeled egg, it is designed as an alternative for city cars and trucks. Although GM could begin producing Pumas in 2012 at about one-third the cost of owning and operating a traditional vehicle, critics claim it is unsafe for street driving. GM, however, says PUMAs will have an innovative sensor technology to help prevent collisions - but shouldn't that technology be on all GM vehicles?