8 ms·

Solowheel

43 points by rwfilice 13y ago

Piskvorrr 13y ago
"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself." - disappointed it wasn't this Solo; but still: seems much better than an electric scooter (for moving around in the city, at least).
coldcode 13y ago
I wonder how stable this thing is for someone 2m tall like me?
ars 13y ago
The segway was also supposed to change the world - and then it was too expensive. I'm disappointed to see that this too is far far too expensive. It needs to be under $250 to even have a chance, but they are asking for $1,795!!
- freehunter 13y ago
  Under $250?! I'd say around $500. I don't know if I'd trust it if it were under $250, not with the manufacturing technology I know of today.
  - nwh 13y ago
    It's a microcontroller, a hub driven motor and a lead acid battery. You could probably churn these out quite cheaply if you so desires.
    - g8oz 13y ago
      LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate), not lead acid
    - freehunter 13y ago
      The whole is more than the sum of the parts. The first Mustang off the line costs millions of dollars, but not because that car has millions of dollars of parts in it rather because making the car is more than just bolting the steel together. These guys didn't grab an Arduino from Amazon and wire it to a pawn shop unicycle.
- shubb 13y ago
  This is basically a Segway, which is essentially an electric wheelchair with higher spec motors and battery. All of the above sell for more than $1000 dollars, probably because that's just what the hardware costs :-( Likely, the problem is over engineering. Segways and electric wheelchairs will often run for several years without needing new parts, and are expensively engineered to not catch fire. In reality, Segways and the OneWheel are toys for most people. You can buy a toy remote control car for much less than a bomb disposal robot, because it's far lower quality. I think a toy quality device for toy grade use would have a bigger market.
jgrahamc 13y ago
According to the documentation it balances front-to-back and not side-to-side and the rider is responsible for maintaining that balance. I wonder how easy that is (especially with any load like a backpack). I think I'd rather spend the $1,800 on a really good bike. But I bet this is fun to mess around on.
- jstanley 13y ago
  Since the wheel doesn't roll side to side, I imagine it's much the same as balancing a bicycle. Also, since the wheel doesn't roll in that axis, it would also (I think) be impossible to auto-stabilise, since there is no steering capability. Perhaps it could have weights slide around to try to balance it, but I can't see that being particularly effective.
  - ars 13y ago
    > Since the wheel doesn't roll side to side, I imagine it's much the same as balancing a bicycle. A bicycle moves. A stationary bicycle is impossible to balance (for most people anyway). I don't see how this would be any different. As soon as you stop you fall off? If it were me I'd add two small wheels (training wheels? :) on springs + shocks on either side. (Make them fold in to maintain portability.) You'd have to make the spring force tunable for different people, but that should be possible by adjusting a screw to change the effective length of the spring.
    - freehunter 13y ago
      When a bike stops, the rider puts their foot down to balance side to side. I don't see how that's different here. Training wheels on bikes are meant to help kids learn the proper speed and when to put their foot down, an adult who already knows how to ride a bike shouldn't have that issue.
      - ars 13y ago
        You can put your foot down with a bike because you are holding the handlebars, and your weight is on the seat. How would you do that here? You are standing on it - if you took one foot off you'd fall. You'd have to hop off every time you stop. If you are athletic with good balance you could probably stand on one foot, but I doubt most people could.
casca 13y ago
This seems to have come out over 2 years ago so the price may be far too high. I do wonder whether it would have been far more successful if they'd created a snazzy Kickstarter video and required people to pre-pay for it.
- josephpmay 13y ago
  A few months ago, the company had a Kickstarter for a follow up product that doesn't require the balancing.
jere 13y ago
It seems a little bit ridiculous that they're selling this as a "greener" and healthier alternative than a bicycle. I suppose the advantage is the size?
- apendleton 13y ago
  Absolutely agreed. Even just considering the energy it takes to keep its battery charged, I'd be deeply skeptical that this device would hold the lead for more than a few months, even if the manufacturing energy for a bicycle is higher -- and if you care about keeping the manufacturing energy of your bike to a minimum, you can buy a bamboo bike, or (even better) buy one used, something for which there is no equivalent with this device both because it's new and because I can't imagine it could hope to last 20 years the way a good bike can. And on yet another level, I'd also have to be convinced that this thing can facilitate car-free living the way bike ownership in an urban area can, which is a huge source of energy savings that bikes can bring to the table.
falk 13y ago
This thing was on Shark Tank. They got $300,000 for 33% of the company from Robert and Kevin. I'd link to the video, but I can't find it. It was on episode 7 of season 4. http://sharktankblog.com/business/self-balancing-unicycle/ http://sharktankblog.com/business/self-balancing-unicycle/
tirant 13y ago
Why are people wearing a helmet? It only gets up to 16km/h (10mph), and it just adds like 10cm to your height. Humans can run up to 44 km/h and Ive never seen them wearing a helmet. It really makes the product look dangerous.
- TylerE 13y ago
  I bet it's classified as an electric bike....and lots of places require helmets for bike riders.
  - Lewisham 13y ago
    ...or you need to use it on the road, in which case a helmet will protect you if you get buzzed by a car (or worse).
stcredzero 13y ago
It's very compact. It's more compact than a folding bike. It also has a much faster transition time. I wonder how the cost benefit compares with a folding scooter? Hill climbing would be an advantage over a folding scooter. How much of a benefit would that be in a city?
ximeng 13y ago
Interesting section on illegal Chinese copies. http://solowheel.com/about-illegal-solowheel-copies/ http://solowheel.com/about-illegal-solowheel-copies/
Aardwolf 13y ago
Why do they call this the greenest solution? What's different than other electrically driven vehicles?
monsterix 13y ago
This is interesting but then again the price point doesn't seem to help break the do-I-look-like-a-dork image[1]. Also without the handle wouldn't it feel that you're not in control of the machine? To me it would. At least the Segway has a handle. Then again, I'd rather see this product through the lens of tomorrow. When we'd have more Teslas and Segways out there these unicycles too will find more acceptance. Fossilization of fossil fuel ones should kind of pave way for this type of hardware. Good luck to the guys building it! [1] http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html
stewbrew 13y ago
Looks like a GausWheel for people who don't want to move in order to move.
carlob 13y ago
24 lbs?! How does the girl in the video lug it so effortlessly in her office?
- michaelbuddy 13y ago
  24lbs is nothing. Not something you can swing about for hours, but certainly no problem carrying up stairs.
ajju 13y ago
I like the 10 mile range, but the 24lb weight makes it difficult to lug around. Boosted Boards, by comparison, weighs 12-15 lbs and has a 6 mile range.
msandford 13y ago
I'd much rather spend that much money on an electric bike where all the tubes are slightly oversized and have li-ion batteries inside them and a fairly well hidden/disguised electric motor somewhere. Nobody thinks twice about being seen on a bike. Plus there's the "I can pedal a very small amount and double the range" factor.
jweir 13y ago
Ah! I saw one yesterday near Prospect Park, Brooklyn. I was driving and couldn't stop to ask about it. Now I know. Looks like a trip.
mapt 13y ago
Their 'illegal Chinese copies' page has a Youtube video that demonstrates the failure mode at speed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOOXBFvKAQM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOOXBFvKAQM I wouldn't want to get anywhere near this - even a small obstacle in the road and you'll see that same failure mode, every time. Good luck jumping off, their trained rider who's expecting it barely manages.

43 points by rwfilice 13y ago

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself." - disappointed it wasn't this Solo; but still: seems much better than an electric scooter (for moving around in the city, at least).

coldcode 13y ago

I wonder how stable this thing is for someone 2m tall like me?

ars 13y ago

The segway was also supposed to change the world - and then it was too expensive. I'm disappointed to see that this too is far far too expensive. It needs to be under $250 to even have a chance, but they are asking for $1,795!!

freehunter 13y ago
Under $250?! I'd say around $500. I don't know if I'd trust it if it were under $250, not with the manufacturing technology I know of today.
- nwh 13y ago
  It's a microcontroller, a hub driven motor and a lead acid battery. You could probably churn these out quite cheaply if you so desires.
  - g8oz 13y ago
    LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate), not lead acid
  - freehunter 13y ago
    The whole is more than the sum of the parts. The first Mustang off the line costs millions of dollars, but not because that car has millions of dollars of parts in it rather because making the car is more than just bolting the steel together. These guys didn't grab an Arduino from Amazon and wire it to a pawn shop unicycle.
shubb 13y ago
This is basically a Segway, which is essentially an electric wheelchair with higher spec motors and battery. All of the above sell for more than $1000 dollars, probably because that's just what the hardware costs :-( Likely, the problem is over engineering. Segways and electric wheelchairs will often run for several years without needing new parts, and are expensively engineered to not catch fire. In reality, Segways and the OneWheel are toys for most people. You can buy a toy remote control car for much less than a bomb disposal robot, because it's far lower quality. I think a toy quality device for toy grade use would have a bigger market.

jgrahamc 13y ago

According to the documentation it balances front-to-back and not side-to-side and the rider is responsible for maintaining that balance. I wonder how easy that is (especially with any load like a backpack). I think I'd rather spend the $1,800 on a really good bike. But I bet this is fun to mess around on.

jstanley 13y ago
Since the wheel doesn't roll side to side, I imagine it's much the same as balancing a bicycle. Also, since the wheel doesn't roll in that axis, it would also (I think) be impossible to auto-stabilise, since there is no steering capability. Perhaps it could have weights slide around to try to balance it, but I can't see that being particularly effective.
- ars 13y ago
  > Since the wheel doesn't roll side to side, I imagine it's much the same as balancing a bicycle. A bicycle moves. A stationary bicycle is impossible to balance (for most people anyway). I don't see how this would be any different. As soon as you stop you fall off? If it were me I'd add two small wheels (training wheels? :) on springs + shocks on either side. (Make them fold in to maintain portability.) You'd have to make the spring force tunable for different people, but that should be possible by adjusting a screw to change the effective length of the spring.
  - freehunter 13y ago
    When a bike stops, the rider puts their foot down to balance side to side. I don't see how that's different here. Training wheels on bikes are meant to help kids learn the proper speed and when to put their foot down, an adult who already knows how to ride a bike shouldn't have that issue.
    - ars 13y ago
      You can put your foot down with a bike because you are holding the handlebars, and your weight is on the seat. How would you do that here? You are standing on it - if you took one foot off you'd fall. You'd have to hop off every time you stop. If you are athletic with good balance you could probably stand on one foot, but I doubt most people could.

casca 13y ago

This seems to have come out over 2 years ago so the price may be far too high. I do wonder whether it would have been far more successful if they'd created a snazzy Kickstarter video and required people to pre-pay for it.

josephpmay 13y ago
A few months ago, the company had a Kickstarter for a follow up product that doesn't require the balancing.

jere 13y ago

It seems a little bit ridiculous that they're selling this as a "greener" and healthier alternative than a bicycle. I suppose the advantage is the size?

apendleton 13y ago
Absolutely agreed. Even just considering the energy it takes to keep its battery charged, I'd be deeply skeptical that this device would hold the lead for more than a few months, even if the manufacturing energy for a bicycle is higher -- and if you care about keeping the manufacturing energy of your bike to a minimum, you can buy a bamboo bike, or (even better) buy one used, something for which there is no equivalent with this device both because it's new and because I can't imagine it could hope to last 20 years the way a good bike can. And on yet another level, I'd also have to be convinced that this thing can facilitate car-free living the way bike ownership in an urban area can, which is a huge source of energy savings that bikes can bring to the table.

falk 13y ago

This thing was on Shark Tank. They got $300,000 for 33% of the company from Robert and Kevin. I'd link to the video, but I can't find it. It was on episode 7 of season 4. http://sharktankblog.com/business/self-balancing-unicycle/ http://sharktankblog.com/business/self-balancing-unicycle/

tirant 13y ago

Why are people wearing a helmet? It only gets up to 16km/h (10mph), and it just adds like 10cm to your height. Humans can run up to 44 km/h and Ive never seen them wearing a helmet. It really makes the product look dangerous.

TylerE 13y ago
I bet it's classified as an electric bike....and lots of places require helmets for bike riders.
- Lewisham 13y ago
  ...or you need to use it on the road, in which case a helmet will protect you if you get buzzed by a car (or worse).

stcredzero 13y ago

It's very compact. It's more compact than a folding bike. It also has a much faster transition time. I wonder how the cost benefit compares with a folding scooter? Hill climbing would be an advantage over a folding scooter. How much of a benefit would that be in a city?

ximeng 13y ago

Interesting section on illegal Chinese copies. http://solowheel.com/about-illegal-solowheel-copies/ http://solowheel.com/about-illegal-solowheel-copies/

Aardwolf 13y ago

Why do they call this the greenest solution? What's different than other electrically driven vehicles?

monsterix 13y ago

This is interesting but then again the price point doesn't seem to help break the do-I-look-like-a-dork image[1]. Also without the handle wouldn't it feel that you're not in control of the machine? To me it would. At least the Segway has a handle. Then again, I'd rather see this product through the lens of tomorrow. When we'd have more Teslas and Segways out there these unicycles too will find more acceptance. Fossilization of fossil fuel ones should kind of pave way for this type of hardware. Good luck to the guys building it! [1] http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html

stewbrew 13y ago

Looks like a GausWheel for people who don't want to move in order to move.

carlob 13y ago

24 lbs?! How does the girl in the video lug it so effortlessly in her office?

michaelbuddy 13y ago
24lbs is nothing. Not something you can swing about for hours, but certainly no problem carrying up stairs.

ajju 13y ago

I like the 10 mile range, but the 24lb weight makes it difficult to lug around. Boosted Boards, by comparison, weighs 12-15 lbs and has a 6 mile range.

msandford 13y ago

I'd much rather spend that much money on an electric bike where all the tubes are slightly oversized and have li-ion batteries inside them and a fairly well hidden/disguised electric motor somewhere. Nobody thinks twice about being seen on a bike. Plus there's the "I can pedal a very small amount and double the range" factor.

jweir 13y ago

Ah! I saw one yesterday near Prospect Park, Brooklyn. I was driving and couldn't stop to ask about it. Now I know. Looks like a trip.

mapt 13y ago

Their 'illegal Chinese copies' page has a Youtube video that demonstrates the failure mode at speed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOOXBFvKAQM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOOXBFvKAQM I wouldn't want to get anywhere near this - even a small obstacle in the road and you'll see that same failure mode, every time. Good luck jumping off, their trained rider who's expecting it barely manages.