If an 18 Year Old Can Do This...

Interesting but I doubt it will go anywhere. It is basically a segway that one sits on instead of stands on. It has a larger footprint but the same performance. We have already had a major corporation present this idea (Segway) and it was effectively banned from use by regulations. (Can't use it on sidewalks because it is too fast but can't use it on roads because it is too slow.)

Still cool though.

 

It doesn't have to be slow. On the other hand, I don't want to go fast on one. Braking is my big concern. If you tried to stop fast, the whole thing would go end for end. The only way the gyros can prevent that is to prevent you from stopping quickly. The problem is inherent in the design.

Tom

 

The answer is to put one wheel in front of the other

 

For some strange reason, it reminds me of Mr. (Ms.) Garrison's invention when he (she) gets fed up by the airlines.

 

Is that for real? Did they really give the kid $1,250,000 for 20% of a company that consists of nothing but his concept, and presumably, any patents he's gotten on it? Not to mention the possibility that Segway might decide to claim he's violated some of their patents, since it sounds like he's using a similar balancing and control system.

And is it their own money they're investing, or are they reps from all those magazines listed on the web page, doing this as a promotional gimmick?

As for the uno itself, it looks cool, but it also looks uncomfortable. In the photo he appears to be almost upright, but in the video he's practically lying on his stomach on the thing with his legs curled under.

I really think an electric motorbike makes more sense for practical pollution-free transportation.

I'll give the kid credit for being a wiz, though.

 

I would not want to be on that when a gyro failed... At least with most current vehicles, they just roll to a stop when they fail....

Can you say FACEPLANT!
:bump2:

 

Until it has room for one standard Harley chick, it's just a stunt.

 

Which means it's not a commuter vehicle. It's a toy. Probably a fun toy for people who like that sort of thing. But if it's not allowed on the street or the road, well, how do you use it to commute?

Meanwhile, there are street-legal electric motorbikes now, as I posted above, which are useful for commuting, if your commute is within their range. There's even an electric trike on the same page, for klutzes like me who cannot ride a bike without falling over.

I didn't think it was a gimmick for the Uno. I thought maybe it was a gimmick for those magazines.

The girl sits on your shoulders as you lay prone on the Uno. Hey, a girl who's not scared to ride a Hog at 100 mph without a helmet won't mind sitting on her boyfriend's shoulders at 15 mph. The real question is, would any self-respecting Harley chick get on a machine that only goes 15 mph? Or even 25? And doesn't make any noise.

 

If we believe the intro to Dragon's Den these are real venture capitalist that put up their own money. I've watched the program a few times and this kid got off easy. Usually they absolutely grill the individual and want more than 50% of a company.

Yes, the kid actually gets $1.25 million to set up a research facility. However since all 5 "dragons" are in on the deal each is only putting up $250,000. The intro goes over the area of expertise and net worth of each "dragon". The dragons rotate but I've never seen one with a net worth of less than $100 million.

 

Thanks for the clarification. He's obviously a bright kid, on the way up. Maybe his next invention will be something useful.

P.S. Don't be surprised at his age. He's right at the start of the "window" where scientists do their seminal work. Newton would have been about 22 when he invented the calculus, in order to have the necessary mathematical "language" in which to describe gravity. Einstein would have been about 26 when he published his first paper on relativity, but I'm guessing he'd been developing it for a few years (while working as a clerk in the patent office).

I'd say 18 is about the right age for this sort of aptitude to show up.

 

Yes, I realized a long time ago that I am a very bad judge of what will be popular and make money vs. what will be shunned and destined to fail for lack of interest.

The current example: Twitter - I do not understand the appeal of this. I signed up for an account to get job hunting tips by Twitter, and I eventually stopped reading them because I couldn't stand trying to decipher what people were trying to say. I'm used to writing and speaking in complete sentences.

 

I have had a pair of Auranthetic "Charger" electric motorcycles for many years. They were made back in the 1970's by a company in Burbank, California. They have an American Bocsh PM motor and use two group27 deep cycle lead-acid batteries wired in series. The speed control consists of a 3-position toggle switch that is attached to the twist-throttle and a pair of 24 volt relays. Basically a heavy street-legal minibike. On a full charge, the accelleration is quite brisk. EV enthusiasts may remember the "Charger" cycle. It was a fairly successful production EV back in the 1970's when mopeds were popular.

 

Cornering power also appears to be quite limited. It's narrow enough a track that it will need to lean like a motorcycle for corners. The size and arrangement of the hardware looks like lean would be fairly limited.

It also has very little resistance to spinning around the vertical axis, I expect it would be prone to spinning easier than other vehicles in corners if things don't go right.

Then combine the two, a max effort corner under power and loss of traction on one wheel would result in a spin and that would put you at the wrong lean angle, most likely faster than the control system could respond. Splat!

It looks like a flawed solution in search of a problem. I would be glad to be proven wrong, but don't expect that to happen.