The Big Electronic Human Energized Machine, Only Too Heavy (BEHEMOTH)[1] was an electronic bike weighing in at roughly 450 pounds (200 kg). It was created by a multi-disciplinary team of volunteers led by Steve Roberts, a self-taught computer hobbyist.
The BEHEMOTH took three and a half years to build and it involved teams of engineers, machinists, bicycle experts, and chip-makers working in labs and shops across California including Palo Alto, Milpitas, Santa Cruz, Soquel, Scotts Valley, and Mountain View. There were many technologies that were used in this project including but not limited to fiber-glassing, sheet-metal fabrication, machining, FORTH software programming, harsh-environment packaging, networking, power management, embedded systems and audio processing. According to Roberts, the BEHEMOTH was to be a "collection of all the geeky tools that he could imagine, integrated into a limited user interface available while pedaling a bicycle".[2] He envisioned a project where "computer and communication tools rendered physical location irrelevant."[3]
The BEHEMOTH logged over 17,000 miles while in service and demonstrated the integration of technologies for recreational use as a visible artifact of early wireless mobile networking.[citation needed] The BEHEMOTH was donated to the Computer History Museum, where it's currently on display.[4]
BEHEMOTH Bicycle on display at the Computer History Museum on 6-26-2024 from the frontBEHEMOTH Bicycle on display at the Computer History Museum on 6-26-2024 from the rear
Specification
The BEHEMOTH bike contained many of the latest technologies of the time[when?] which were packed within the following three main equipment enclosures:
Console, a fiberglass-enclosed hood located on the front of the bike
RUMP (Rear Unit of Many Purposes) located behind the bike seat
Trailer, located at the back of the bike
The console consisted of the following technologies:[2]
Audio and serial switch networks allowing anything to talk to anything with simple commands
Bicycle Control Processor which was programmed using the FORTH language
Cordless phone, answering machine and fax machine
Credit card verifier
Diagnostic tools including LED matrix
Fiberglass dome that was a satellite antenna which provided email connectivity
Folding 6-segment aluminum console
Handlebar keyboard on each handle
Icom 2-meter transceiver; dedicated Larsen half-wave antenna on seat
Immersive head-up display that was controlled by an Ampro 80286DOS platform for CAD system
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