Focus Designs has a new version of their self-balancing unicycle for sale. This improves upon their original design in several ways. The battery pack has moved to LiFePO4, which is becoming more common in electric transportation. There’s also regenerative braking and fall protection which kills the motor when you fall off.
We’ve embedded their marketing video after the break. Our favorite part is the shot seen above: a guy on the unicycle cruising along next to a woman who is running. There’s nothing like sitting on your bum while some else exercises.
At any rate, from what we see in the video they’ve turned out a solid product.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JOgTKigxGs]
You could use it as a bar stool that takes you home!
Don’t drink and drive! :P
@ben: just needs autonomous gps, and I am sold. its like the old car drive up soda shops, now its the pull up bars
needs gizmoduck costume.
While having a unicycle that fixes itself after breaking would be cool, I think that the word you meant to use would be braking.
Ok if you havent googled segway wipeouts , do so now.
I think this thing will create much much more entertaining wipeouts.
“While having a unicycle that fixes itself after breaking would be cool, I think that the word you meant to use would be braking.
Posted at 9:01 am on Oct 15th, 2010 by Squirrel”
Are you surprised? Hackaday may have spellcheck, but it is up to Hackaday Staff to, you know, proofread.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterography_and_homography
@Zen
ROTFLMAO!
The picture unintentionally shows, quite well, the different body types which result for the two activities.
be carefull with that axe Eugene !
look what hapened to Jimi Heselden
lucky…
i wish i had the time/parts to do this…
Bam! One less wheel, in your face Segway!
I wonder how the unicycle comes to a stop? At the speed shown in the video, I suppose it needs a stopping distance of several feet? Especially since there is nothing to hold on to?
Its like an “IT” but not such a pain in the butt.
After seeing the vid, I gotta say its pretty neat, kinda want to ride up next to some of the unicycle nerds we have on campus. Definitely get more ladies sitting looking calm cool and collected than that awkward pelvic gyrating that unicyclists have to do in order to peddle, make it a uni-barstool and I would consider buying one! =)
woot! go Washington!! :D
I can actually picture everyone using one of these in the next seven years, especially if it could be solar-powered.
Also, “You could use it as a bar stool that takes you home! -ben” HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Unicyclists don’t “wipeout” – they have unplanned dismounts!
Also, I wouldn’t sell this as an piece of exercise equipment but unicycling, powered or not, will is a good core workout for a couch potato.
Last, to stop a unicycle, you push the wheel in front of the center of gravity and balance. When you try to stop one like a bicyclem the rider simply continues forward!
Hmm that’s right across the river from me, I’ll have to see if they allow free testing. If I get the chance to test it out I will report back here.
Still haven’t fixed the greatest technical diffuculty with these self – balancing transport doohickeys: the fact that the user always looks like a total dweeb.
They need to give the rider something to do with their hands.
“They need to give the rider something to do with their hands.”
Juggle?
Too expensive: U$1499