I don't think they're related, but they're so similar it's hard not to believe there's not some inspiration in some direction. Dunno which direction it is, though.
Small world! The flying nimbus-thing is my contraption, feel free to ask any questions. Just moved servers so some of the photos may load artificially small.
The onewheel folks's prototype inspired a lot of my build, there's quite a bit of tech to keep something like this happy and safe to use, check out their manufacturing line:
Agreed. I also had a Yuneec E-go and realized that electric skateboards, despite their low weight, are very annoying to carry around. I'm personally waiting around for a good electric kick-scooter or small foldable electric bike. Mainly because it's easy to travel with it, e.g. you just roll it around.
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'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's what toys are for.
I'm really excited about this product, I'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.
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.
This is similar to how I use my onewheel, public transportation is 3 miles away. You can put a chain on it as is but you can also carry it in with you (25 lbs)
I'm glad to hear that. The route from my house to the train station has a couple of gentle hills and my weight is 155 pounds. Should I be concerned that it won't have enough power to climb those hills?
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's pretty fun to ride. The specs for the weight, top speed, and run time are pretty similar.
I wonder if it'd be possible to use a smaller wheel (maybe a sphere), and also raise the deck? Suspension?
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. :)
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.
$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.
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't big enough for the weight sensor so they can't really use it as designed. Pretty cool to see out in the wild though.
think that was me :-) day 2 with my board back in Nov, I took it out to Golden Gate Park. the group of kids were skateboarders and people who already ride boards tend to be really curious about this new entrant. good point on kids too small, main thing is foot size as you need to cover the sensor to engage the board.
Question: Is it possible to wear a chest/back-strapped device which contains an electronically-controlled gyroscope that helps the rider stay balanced?
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.
Does it come with a splash guard because if not, I can't really see this ever being a serious commute option.
This actually does look pretty fun (for about 15m) but it's so goofy and impractical that at $1,500 I can only ever see rich SV dorks using this.
Curious for riders - can you ollie/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 "bongo-board" your balance while moving?
OP here, just tried and no you can't ollie/nollie (at least i couldn't, but i'm not a skateboarder).
What's on rideonewheel.com regarding movement is all true "Just lean forward to drive forward, back to stop and press your heels or toes to turn."
You are not balancing the board, it is balancing you.
The price is worth it as this is a legitimate transportation vehicle on top of being really fun to ride. Consider some of the premium an early adopter fee as you will be the coolest kid on the block.
The popularity is a double edged sword though as you will attract crowds and will field a lot of questions.
full disclosure i'm an investor in future motion, makers of onewheel
> The price is worth it as this is a legitimate transportation vehicle on top of being really fun to ride.
That's all pretty subjective. Plus, for $1500, I could also literally buy a dozen bikes, and just put them at every endpoint of my commute where I'm on on a train or bus. (e.g., ride Bike A to subway stop, chain it up; get off half a mile from work, unchain Bike B, ride it to work, chain it up; leave work, ride Bike C to bar, chain it up. Take subway home, unchain Bike A, ride it home. Duplicate 4x to eliminate worries about having any bike stolen.)
What your proposing to trade off (price for convenience) is another subjective measure. In my opinion, your approach would be an inconvenient number points and units to manage.
From the oxford dictionary; Sport: An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Basically you're subverting the definition, you're thinking of maybe a game?
http://transistor-man.com/flying_nimbus.html
I don't think they're related, but they're so similar it's hard not to believe there's not some inspiration in some direction. Dunno which direction it is, though.