
Üo – innovative 360° scooter that rides on a ball – OUT NOW - recentdarkness
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/olafwinkler/uo-innovative-360-scooter-that-rides-on-a-ball-out
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eps
Looks interesting, but despite of pitch claims it doesn't actually look
_comfortable_ to ride.

Judging by how stiff the guy is when riding it, this thing doesn't appear to
be entirely self-balancing. He also seems to be leaning on the control rod on
more than one occassion, so it's not just a joystick assembly, but a
mechanical driving help too.

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anotheryou
You drive by leaning on to it. The joystick is just for rotation and settings.

I however fear the bearrings wont last long with any dirt or moisture on the
road and it's loud and slow. I also haven't seen it handle any small obstacle
in the video.

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goldenkey
That's always the issue with electric skateboards and they have had to go
through some deep design decisions (namely: Boosted.) Boosted really did
great, their board is amazing. This guy on the other hand, hasn't really put
the same effort into it -- how can you when you are just 1 person? It's a cool
broomstick but the safety isn't there (exposed gears instead of brushless belt
motors are a really bad idea.)

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gargravarr
The amount of exposed components and the control stick in particular makes the
device look pretty unfinished. The stick in particular is pretty unwieldly; it
should be a handheld remote. That big metal pole is probably a safety hazard
falling off when hitting a bump...

A good choice by the designers to use standard Li-Po battery packs, but the
cost of the unit without batteries is ridiculously expensive. Okay, good
quality materials and manufacturing, but still... And at 33kg not including
the ball (another 5kg) or batteries (who knows), that thing is frikkin' heavy!

Not saying it isn't a good idea, but I don't particularly like the execution.
I'll stick with my electric skateboard.

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goldenkey
Ball vehicles waste a lot of inertia too on stopping and accelerating. It's a
cool idea but I don't think its practical compared to electric longboards
(disclaimer: I have a boosted board and I love it.)

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goldenkey
Looks like a huge safety hazard to me. You do NOT want your limbs getting in
those direct-drive gears attached to this sphere.

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RubyPinch
out now?

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vannevar
They appear to be using an unfamiliar definition of the term "now", where it
seems to mean "in the future". The site says "this summer".

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Odenwaelder
Üo, what a stupid name. How is it even pronounced? Leave the umlauts to ze
germans, please.

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Odenwaelder
Oh shit, they are in fact germans.

