I expect most people have seen the electric self balancing wheel, Honda's U3-X, Ryno etc. Odd that the famously difficult to ride unicycle seems to be the model for future personal transportation. The Firefly V1 is an opensource design if any engineers fancy having a go themselves.
Here's a video of it in action:
https://youtube.com/v/iw3yAz1FCU8
Mike Moore - - Parent #
Super cool. I've seen motorized versions of what looks like an ultimate wheel, but has a platform rather than pedals (no post/seat). I wonder if that'll ever catch on! It would be way more compact.
Sounds like an impossible wheel to me. Motorization would be the only thing that could potentially make that anything other than dumb!
I've always hated the impossible wheel! Never even seen one, but from what I see even the best can barely ride it, and tricks are either lame or nonexistent.
Little Paul - - Parent #
even the best can barely ride it
http://juggling.tv/169
Warning: includes 1980s remix of popcorn. More cheese than a deli counter.
Or for some slightly more modern examples:
https://www.youtube.com/v/8WRzqlh3728
https://www.youtube.com/v/DnPbG-UV6tQ
LP, those are ultimate wheels not impossible wheels.
Ultimate wheels have offset pedals so you can pedal them round (like a unicycle without a frame or seat), impossible wheels just have an extended axle which you can balance upon (training/beginner's impossible wheels with platforms hanging below the axle also exist).
Little Paul - - Parent #
Ahh, yes, you're right.
I blame an early morning lack of tea
Any ultimate wheel riders out there that can give a perspective on how hard or easy it is to transition from a unicycle to an ultimate wheel? After seeing these videos, especially the Nimbus one, I sort of want one now, but, as someone who can ride a unicycle forwards OK, a little backwards, and idle a bit, just how hard is it?
cheers - Warren
Danny Colyer - - Parent #
That depends on your pain threshold. Learning to ride a UW hurts!
Think about how the wheel on your unicycle gets pushed to one side on every downstroke of a pedal.
On a UW, the whole wheel leans that way on the downstroke, pushing the top of the wheel against your leg on that side and resulting in the tyre rubbing against your leg. Riding chaps or leg armour might help.
Also think about what kind of UW you're going to learn. You can have a wheel that's essentially a disk with pedals attached (something like this: https://www.unicycle.uk.com/24-nimbus-aluminium-ultimate-wheel-blue-5782.html ) or you can have a unicycle wheel with the frame removed. The former, with it's essentially zero Q-factor, won't lean side to side as much on the downstrokes and is much easier to learn. The latter is much harder to learn (I've never got the hang of it), the cranks will have your ankles off before the tyre hits your leg, but I suspect it should be easier to ride in the long term once you learn to get the weight distribution right, as there's more room for the wheel to lean before it scrapes the inside of your leg.
With the level of competence you describe on a unicycle, I reckon you ought to be able to ride the narrower kind of UW a few yards with half an hour's practice.
FWIW I've only ever ridden 26" UWs. I wonder whether a smaller one might be easier.
I never wanted anything so BAD! And I thought this would be the greatest traffic development in HISTORY in a country that really needs it... Until I looked up the unicycle.
$1,795!!! I can't afford that, much less people in the slums of India! Maybe in the more wealthy parts, but damn. As a one-seater, even in the most affluent neighborhoods, I can't see it. And I hate to say it, but riding it clearly requires balance skill that most average civilians (non-jugglers - muggles - what should we call them?)wouldn't spare the time to learn.
It's still a prototype in development, that cost will plummet if it ever gets to mass production.
Again, I too think the unicycle is an odd choice. Most people I know consider 2 wheels dangerous compared to 4, so 1 is going to be even worse. However, there are a lot of powered unicycle models in development.
Remembering back to when I learnt to ride a unicycle I don't remember falling to the side to side only backwards or forwards, a result of not having the skill to match the speed of pedaling required to the body position. If the speed control is handled by a microcontroller perhaps unicycling is a lot easier to learn?
That makes sense. Yes, I always just fell forwards or backwards from the axle. Always landed on my feet too - I've never injured myself on a unicycle. I did nothing other than basic riding, backwards and idling though.
I remember reading about an electric unicycle that was self-balancing(?)... Maybe what you're talking about is exactly that.
Daniel Simu - - Parent #
Of course! Both the unicycle and the impossible wheel are self balancing, otherwise they would indeed be super stupid concepts.. They work similar to a segway: You lean forward, you go!
Home made electric unicycles have been around for more than 10 years, and these days you can buy one for less than £300. Hopefully range and speed have improved, but there is not much evidence of that.
I've seen at least 10 different people riding these around Vancouver... specifically these: https://www.vansolowheel.com/
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