The Self-Balancing Electric Unicycle: Silly or Innovative?
Are you an electric vehicle-loving balance guru? Then you should get in line for Focus Design’s self-balancing unicycle (SBU). The unicycle can blaze down the street at 8.5 MPH, and can go for 12 miles on a single charge. At 25 pounds, it can easily be carried to a charging station.
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The unicycle rider controls the vehicle’s speed by leaning forwards or backwards to go faster or stop. There are no pedals—only foot rests.
According to Focus Designs, even balance-challenged riders may fare reasonably well on the SBU. The vehicle stays upright using “accelerometers and gyroscopes with sophisticated balancing algorithms”. Riders will need to stay at least partially upright by themselves, though—the company says that the SBU is about half as difficult to ride as a regular unicycle.
The SBU is coming out in limited production next month for $1,500. If you’re interested, start boning up on your interview skills now— the first ten buyers will be chosen on the basis of order date and the quality of a personal interview.
Will the release of the SBU spawn an electric unicycle trend? Probably not. But it’s definitely a fun addition to the rapidly growing canon of electric vehicles.
Photo Credit: Gearlog
[...] this week’s news of an upcoming self-balancing electric unicycle was certainly exciting (and strange), KTM’s announcement today about its electric off-road [...]
how about poser lol why would you wanta pretend you could ride a unicycle
wow…just fantastic bycicle))) I like it
If you like this then check out the “enicycle” from Slovenia. It is much better, has a novel steering system and he is trying to get funding to put it into production. He is far too modest and so only has around 1000 hits on his youtube vid. Watch him ride it around a shopping mall, down a corridor and into his office (with his arms down by his side).
Sweet, a unisegway. This would pwn on Like a Pierott.