

The Zero-Emissions One-Wheeled Motorcycle - functionoid
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-05/zero-emissions-one-wheeled-motorcycle
The Uno accelerates with a simple lean and turns like a street bike on side-by-side wheels
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riklomas
Call me pedantic, but doesn't it have two wheels?

What advantages does this have over a standard bicycle? Is it solving a
problem that doesn't exist?

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nirmal
I believe the main point was the zero-emissions.

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riklomas
Being all-electric means it will cause some emissions though, whereas a
bicycle doesn't have emit any at all (although you could say it's powered by
human-energy which in turn is powered by other things)

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dougp
I read somewhere that if you eat meat (I assume they were talking about beef)
then its actually better for the environment co2 wise to just drive.

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bayleo
That was this old article...

[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2195...](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2195538.ece)

But it was discussing walking, not riding (far more efficient), and used
common milk as the calorie provision (effectively a worst-case scenario).

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pi3832
Silliness. Inspired design creates simple solutions for complex problems. That
thing is a complex solution for a simple problem. Or perhaps it's a complex
solution without any problem at all.

Anyone who wants to positively impact individual's transportation issues
should be working on battery development, and similar technology.

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stcredzero
Whoever designed this is obviously a fan of Venus Wars:

<http://www.imdb.com/media/rm705206528/tt0135037>

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maxklein
Anyone who looks at that thing and thinks it's not going to be a hit is not a
money man. To quote the sopranos - I know a hit when I see it.

That motorbike would sell like hot cakes because it's extremely cool. People
who ride motorbikes care about coolness. And a one wheeled motorbike is the
epitome.

But frankly, I'd be scared to ride something like that which is balanced by
electronics.

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as
I second that fear. Remember the Segway bug that caused the motors to
spontaneously reverse? Imagine that on the highway at 60mph.

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ken
There's no fear of catastrophic failure at 60mph on the highway, if its motors
are only capable of a top speed of 40mph. It's not a highway vehicle.

Aerospace has used fly-by-wire computer-controlled unstable vehicles for
years. I trust a well-designed computer more than I do an average motorist.

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as
40mph can still kill.

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bigboote
Transportation has been in the post-functionality age for a few decades now.
Getting from A to B is taken for granted, and choice of vehicle is almost
entirely driven by aesthetics and style. And it makes a huge difference. Try
going on a date in an M3, or a 1987 Firebird, or an xB, and see the different
reactions you get.

This vehicle is relevant because it's a genuinely new thing, in a field which
only sees about 1 new idea per decade. (not to channel Zuckerberg here or
anything...)

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okeumeni
This machine is dangerous. Physics speaking: it will require a good balance
and adherence point is one. Conclusion falling off it is highly probable with
great damage to the body.

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lst
It's really ingenious, except for the fact that the 2 wheels are side-by-side
instead of balancing each other automagically (in some other strange, and
surely 'too simple', arrangement).

