Onewheel [video]

Here&#x27;s a fun report of making something (very!) like this from scratch:<p><a href="http://transistor-man.com/flying_nimbus.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;transistor-man.com&#x2F;flying_nimbus.html</a><p>I don&#x27;t think they&#x27;re related, but they&#x27;re so similar it&#x27;s hard not to believe there&#x27;s not some inspiration in some direction. Dunno which direction it is, though.

Range: 4-6 miles = 6.437-9.656 km<p>Max. speed: 12 mph = 19.31 km&#x2F;h<p>Recharge time: 20 minutes = 0.3803 microcenturies

The burning question I had since the start of the video was answered at 1:23 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;v=XNqOU4jx62I#t=82" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;v=XN...</a>

There are a number of these self-propelled things. I get it as entertainment, and plenty of people spend more money on their bikes or skis, but I can&#x27;t wrap my head around people who suggest it as an everyday mode of transport. Like the Segway, it seems an overengineered toy that some may enjoy but few will find practical. By all means have a blast on the thing, though - that&#x27;s what toys are for.

I&#x27;m really excited about this product, I&#x27;ll probably buy one but I would like to try it first. My main usage for it would be to go from my house to the train station about 1 mile away.<p>It would be very cool if future versions included some kind of hook or latch so it can be chained to a bike pole or something similar, that will make it not only a toy, but an important piece of my daily commute.

Back to the Future was slightly off :)<p>I love electric vehicles of all sorts, let&#x27;s enjoy them to the fullest, the hoverboard will be there soon enough.

Contrast the design and price with the electric unicycles like Solowheel, Airwheel, Rockwheel and various knockoffs that have been around a while. I got a Uni-wheel [1] for $300 last month and it&#x27;s pretty fun to ride. The specs for the weight, top speed, and run time are pretty similar.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF17hVc_VaM" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=sF17hVc_VaM</a>

I wonder if it&#x27;d be possible to use a smaller wheel (maybe a sphere), and also raise the deck? Suspension?<p>I would try it, but just like with boosted boards, I think I would still prefer a normal skateboard. Because I can still kickflip a normal skateboard. :)<p>Hmm - other thoughts. What would make this really cool is if it goes really, really fast. Like balls to the wall speed. 12mph is definitely not fast enough.

The thing I really like about Onewheel vs Boosted is the size of the wheel. Even when I skateboarded 10 years ago, the small size of the wheels would always get me into trouble.<p>$1500 is definitely too much money for me right now, but if I move further away from the office and the price comes down about $500 in the 6-12 months I may be picking one of these up.

Further reading:<p><a href="http://rideonewheel.com/" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;rideonewheel.com&#x2F;</a><p><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4422853/onewheel-the-self-balancing-electric-skateboard" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.kickstarter.com&#x2F;projects&#x2F;4422853&#x2F;onewheel-the-se...</a>

I was a kickstarter backer and my One Wheel just arrived today. One interesting thing, in order to dismount there is a small sensor strip about 3 inches wide where the one wheel senses a rider, after coming to a stop, you then slide your foot off the sensor strip, which disables the wheel allowing you to dismount. The other option is just hopping off with both feet.

I saw someone riding one of these in Golden Gate Park in SF not long ago. It definitely got everyone to turn their heads. All the kids wanted to try, and the guy was cool and let a bunch of kids have turns, although small kids aren&#x27;t big enough for the weight sensor so they can&#x27;t really use it as designed. Pretty cool to see out in the wild though.

Question: Is it possible to wear a chest&#x2F;back-strapped device which contains an electronically-controlled gyroscope that helps the rider stay balanced?

Every single person in the video is wearing Nike socks and shoes. Is this just a coincidence or is Nike somehow related to this project?

So pretty much what I gathered from watching this video is that your ankles, socks, pant legs or shoes will be caked with dirt and sand, and optionally soaked by sprays of water.<p>Does it come with a splash guard because if not, I can&#x27;t really see this ever being a serious commute option.

One of the cooler electric skateboard concepts.

So Solowheel =~ skis, Onewheel =~ snowboard?

Or.. just get a skateboard?<p>This actually does look pretty fun (for about 15m) but it&#x27;s so goofy and impractical that at $1,500 I can only ever see rich SV dorks using this.<p>Curious for riders - can you ollie&#x2F;nollie them? Is there an internal truck mechanism for turning, or do you have to pivot your feet? Does it have gyroscopic balancing, or are you always trying to &quot;bongo-board&quot; your balance while moving?