

Self-Balancing Unicycle Only Half as Dorky as Segway - japaget
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/10/self-balancing-unicycle-only-half-as-dorky-as-segway/

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gregpilling
I just re-read Robert Heinlein's short story "The Roads Must Roll" and there
is a reference in the story to something like this, but he called it a
tumblebug. From the story - "It had been a long time since the Chief Engineer
had ridden one of these silly-looking little vehicles, and he felt awkward. A
tumblebug does not give a man dignity, since it is about the size and shape of
a kitchen stool, gyro-stabilized on a single wheel"

I find it interesting that he predicted this in 1939 and it has taken 70 years
to be a reality.

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dasil003
The most impressive part is that he imagined how dorky it would be.

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jambo
<http://www.tlb.org/eunicycle.html>

<http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html>

50% as dorky. 0% as smug.

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aberkowitz
What about the Uno [1] which is a half eunicycle, half electric motorcycle?

[1] <http://www.bpg-motors.com/>

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forensic
This is awesome. One of these, in combination with public transport, could
honest-to-god replace my car.

The small profile makes it easy to carry inside with you, unlike a bike or a
segway.

In my opinion this could actually come close to achieving what the Segway
originally wanted to achieve. Segways are too bulky. This is just perfect.
Price, profile, utility, everything. Amazing looking product I expect to own
one.

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stretchwithme
Wouldn't it be cool if there were an auto-balanced unicycle that just kept you
from losing your balance and still made you do all the pedaling? Now THAT
would make you look cool.

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JeffL
Maybe the peddling could power an electric generator - you could still peddle
while you're stopped at the stoplight. =)

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stretchwithme
yes! a hybrid bike that never needs charging

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abentspoon
I didn't see anyone mounting or dismounting the unicycle in the video. If it's
awkward to stop and start, it's going to look much more dorky than the Segway.

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ams6110
Honestly I can't think of any kind of transport that's dorkier than a
unicycle. Segways included.

~~~
dasil003
You are wrong <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOLQtHl2Coc>

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devmonk
Self-Balancing Unicycle Only Half as Dorky as Segway"

Wrong. It is at least 3x _more_ dorky.

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jfb
Half as dorky as a Segway is about 4x as dorky as I am, and I'm a giant dork.

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jws
_The SBU also features front, rear and side energy absorbing zones, these are
commonly referred to as your knees, elbows, face and butt._ –
<http://focusdesigns.com/design/>

That design page is a nice read. (Though I feel a smacking is in order for
their conflation of voltage and power.)

Initially the square tube frame made me think "garage welder", but after 5
looks it says "I have one wheel, but I am not what you think of as a
unicycle."

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nodata
To take it a step further, what if the unicycle was integrated into your car
seat. When you leave the car you leave on your unicycle. No switchover
necessary.

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stcredzero
There was a folding bike design that had full-sized parallel wheels. I thought
this was eminently practical, since it could be wheeled around indoors easily.
This uni has the same utility.

Found it. It's the IF Mode, which actually costs quite a bit more than this
uni!

<http://www.nycewheels.com/if-mode-folding-bike.html>

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arethuza
I see someone commuting every day on a unicycle (through central Edinburgh in
heavy traffic!) - still never seen anyone on a Segway.

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tomjen3
This would be awesome to ride on, but I am a little afraid that it will tip as
soon as it hits a rough spot.

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cmelbye
I'm afraid that I would be riding it, the battery would die, and then I'd fall
flat on my face.

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ejs
From <http://focusdesigns.com/design/>

"Once the battery is completely drained the SBU continues to balance but will
become stubbornly stationary and not obey your speed commands."

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itistoday
Some of the comments are particularly amusing and/or prescient:

 _That sign looks like a disabled person sign_

 _Stuff White People Like_

 _This is perfect for people who are terrified of a little moderate exercise
and don’t mind looking like a fat lazy dork with bad posture._

I particularly like the part in their promo-vid (toward the end) where the guy
is riding his SBU alongside a jogger, who is going just as fast as he, but
obviously the better for it. It seems to beg the question of "why doesn't he
run alongside her?" (she'd probably appreciate it more too).

I would imagine that for many of the readers of this site, a little moderate
exercise is not something to be terrified of, but practically a necessity. I'm
thankful for every opportunity that I get to walk/run outside, as I spend most
of my time indoors on the computer, and that's a very unhealthy way to spend
most of one's day. I wouldn't buy one of these, only because my body has
little interest in extending the amount of time it remains stationary, and
legs are a pretty remarkable and versatile invention that technology has yet
to top.

In fact, looking at this SBU makes me appreciate my legs more. They can, for
example, go up stairs. And jump over things. They can even be used as a
weapon. I don't have to worry about locking them up somewhere because they're
with me all the time, and although they're not particularly fancy, they don't
make me look especially uncool either. ;-)

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forensic
>In fact, looking at this SBU makes me appreciate my legs more. They can, for
example, go up stairs.

it looks fairly easy to carry one of these unicycles up stairs, or take it on
an escalator, or ride up a wheelchair ramp

>And jump over things.

Easier to jump over stuff than with a bike or segway

>They can even be used as a weapon.

One word. Jousting.

>I don't have to worry about locking them up somewhere because they're with me
all the time,

I think you could take this unicycle just about everywhere - walking it
alongside with you inside a building for instance. Much more doable than a
segway or bike. It's more like a skateboard.

>and although they're not particularly fancy, they don't make me look
especially uncool either. ;-)

It's the person that makes the gadget cool or uncool. If you're a cool guy,
you'll still look cool on a unicycle. If you're a dork, you'll look dorky
either way.

Utility drives coolness. If this proves to be useful it will be cool within a
decade or two.

