

Onewheel [video] - stonlyb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNqOU4jx62I

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jccooper
Here's a fun report of making something (very!) like this from scratch:

[http://transistor-man.com/flying_nimbus.html](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.

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rndn
That is a surprisingly short code for the balancing logic.

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transistor-man
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.

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stonlyb
any plans to make it commercially available?

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transistor-man
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:

[http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/02/onewheel-
assembly/](http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/02/onewheel-assembly/)

~~~
jacquesm
Textbook example of what a kickstarter campaign can do and how to run one.

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rndn
Range: 4-6 miles = 6.437-9.656 km

Max. speed: 12 mph = 19.31 km/h

Recharge time: 20 minutes = 0.3803 microcenturies

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innguest
You forgot the most important number!

Weight: 25 lbs / 11.3 kg.

I have an electric skateboard (Yuneec eGo) that weighs _only_ 14 lbs and I
still don't take it from place to place because I don't want to carry it.

Think of carrying before you buy it. Carefully.

~~~
nkangoh
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.

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afandian
The burning question I had since the start of the video was answered at 1:23
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XN...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XNqOU4jx62I#t=82)

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devindotcom
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.

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qnk
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.

~~~
stonlyb
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)

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qnk
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?

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stonlyb
on one of these, those hills will be your favorite part of the ride. I've been
up and down very steep inclines and get the feeling of defying gravity.

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HackinOut
Back to the Future was slightly off :)

I love electric vehicles of all sorts, let's enjoy them to the fullest, the
hoverboard will be there soon enough.

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bnegreve
> let's enjoy them to the fullest, the hoverboard will be there soon enough.

My feeling is that we've been enjoying this _wheel_ technology for quite a
while already :/

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dmethvin
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.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF17hVc_VaM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF17hVc_VaM)

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dskhatri
Where did you buy it from at $300? How does it perform uphill?

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dluan
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.

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TD-Linux
Steering is achieved by deforming the wheel into a cone shape. A spherical
wheel wouldn't allow steering by deformation.

~~~
dluan
Hmm, wouldn't a close-to-spherical material (something like tire rubber) work?

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OmarIsmail
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.

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Bjoern
Further reading:

[http://rideonewheel.com/](http://rideonewheel.com/)

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4422853/onewheel-the-
se...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/4422853/onewheel-the-self-
balancing-electric-skateboard)

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lando2319
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.

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dougmccune
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.

~~~
stonlyb
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.

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ajcarpy2005
Question: Is it possible to wear a chest/back-strapped device which contains
an electronically-controlled gyroscope that helps the rider stay balanced?

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thecodemonkey
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?

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cptskippy
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.

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IshKebab
One of the cooler electric skateboard concepts.

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bronson
So Solowheel =~ skis, Onewheel =~ snowboard?

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Mizza
Or.. just get a skateboard?

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?

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stonlyb
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

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pavel_lishin
> _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.)

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deckar01
It is more common to find people spending $1500+ for a single bike in SV,
which puts this well within the price range of many sports enthusiasts.

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soperj
Except this isn't a sport? You don't actually do any exercise riding this
thing.

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stonlyb
and some sports are non-physical. creativity in technique and terrain could
make this an interesting extreme sport despite lack of physical strain.

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soperj
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?

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pavel_lishin
Let's define "salad" and "sandwich" next.

