Airwheel – electronic thingamy some Sydney residents are using to get about

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/cartech/hovering-flying-floating-to-work-on-top-of-the-world-and-in-breach-of-the-law-20150814-giz6r2.html?stb=fb

by electic • 11 years ago

43 47 11 years ago

smh.com.au

prawn• 11 years ago

There's also the Monorover class of devices that start at around $200 and could be interesting. I've wondered about getting one to replace a 10-20 minute commute and avoid parking issues. I think these sorts of devices will be trouble for Boosted Boards eventually - they're cheaper and smaller.

chrisfarms• 11 years ago

There's a guy in Brighton (UK) with one of these... he always looks so happy and surprisingly stable on it.

It seems to make up the relatively steep hill I live on, but I've never seen him use it to go down the hill. Guessing it gets bit sketchy fighting gravity.

alt_• 11 years ago

Someone in London too. Not as stable, though. He hopped on it and promptly fell over ;)

josephmx• 11 years ago

I've seen a lot around Oxford Circus, I'm gonna guess tourists or hipsters ;)

masklinn4• 11 years ago

Guessing it gets bit sketchy fighting gravity.

The big risk is going too fast: because the wheels use balance (forwards/backwards) to know whether to accelerate or slow down, if the wheel goes beyond a certain speed it tends to behave somewhat oddly, some models will lock and stop, others will "freewheel", either way the user will likely end up eating pavement.

IIRC the latter is the behaviour of the interviewee's rockwheel, it starts beeping (in several increments) when closing in to maximum speed, then the systems just shut down and you get a completely unmanaged unicycle (without electronic stabilisation). Other wheels will try to forcibly rebalance the user, but again it's fairly easy to defeat, not much the wheel can do if you just lean forward despite its best effort… and you eat pavement again.

Aside from that, acquaintances who've tried/used them tell me they're fairly fast to learn and very enjoyable and convenient.

jessriedel3• 11 years ago

But can't you go down a hill slowly by just not leaning as far forward? Trivially, these allow you to remain stopped on a slope, right?

leoedin• 11 years ago

I'm fairly sure these devices (along with Segways) are illegal to use on the road in the UK[1] (I believe you could use it if you registered it as a vehicle, but then you need tax, insurance and an MOT if they're over 3 years old).[2] I guess now they're so cheap people are willing to take that risk (or just aren't aware of the legal situation).

The government apparently pledged to make Segways (and then presumably all these self-balancing 2 wheel electric scooters) legal but never actually did.

[1] http://www.legalisesegways.co.uk/ [2]: https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules

Someone12344• 11 years ago

We have some strange and outdated laws. The electric wheelchair laws are also interesting:

https://www.gov.uk/mobility-scooters-and-powered-wheelchairs...

In particular as you need to register them which seems pointless and antiquated.

jclarkcom• 11 years ago

I used to ride down the steapest streets in twin peaks, SF - a little harder than normal to keep balance but it slows for you. The tricky part was getting back up, it drains the battery rapidly so easy to run out of juice and the carrying these by hand is a massive workout. I have the solowheel, I think airwheel is a knockoff?

warrenmiller• 11 years ago

Seeing these and the 2 wheel version all around London

retube• 11 years ago

tube strikes driving sales ;)

m-i-l• 11 years ago

A colleague of mine did get one for the tube strike the other week. Took him about 1.5 hours to commute about 4 miles on it that day, partly because he was unfamiliar with it, and partly because there only rough potholed cycle lanes for some of the way where it was safer to get off and carry it.

Had a go on it myself. Found it a little tricky getting on, given that you have to put one foot first and it has a tendency to start moving when you take the other foot off the ground. I was wondering if there was a way to tether it to an app with a big stop button you'd keep pressed until both feet were on (although not sure how feasible that would be if the balancing thing requires forward or backward motion).

heyrhett3• 11 years ago

I host a beginner intro meetup for electric unicycles in the east bay. http://www.meetup.com/Eastbay-Electric-Unicycles-Meetup/even...

jessriedel3• 11 years ago

Cool! Am I right in thinking that "electric unicycle" is a somewhat misleading name since these things are self-balancing (forward-backward) unlike traditional unicycle which require a lot of practice?

heyrhett3• 11 years ago

I consider it a unicycle because of the word etymology. uni "one" + cycle, from Greek kyklos "circle, wheel".

Some guy showed up to the first meetup asserting that it was a "bc wheel", which I later learned is from the old B.C. comics strip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impossible_wheel

I used to love those comics with cave people riding on wheels. Maybe that's why I like these things.

With regards to practice, it took me 2 weeks to learn well enough to travel a few blocks around the neighborhood. Other people learn faster. Many people come to the meetup and go a few feet on their first day.

JulianMorrison3• 11 years ago

I propose calling them a "seg". Given that they are half of a Segway.

bemmu• 11 years ago

Here's my review from trying one a while back: http://www.bemmu.com/airwheel-electric-unicycle-review

It was a ton of fun but I did not end up using it in real life because of the low range and unsure legal status. I still miss having one though and might buy a newer model later to give it another go, it was so much fun to ride.

heyrhett3• 11 years ago

Thanks for the review. I think I read it before I pulled the trigger to order one. BTW, I think some manufacturers now make unicycles with double the range than the one you had. Silent chargers also now exist.

masklinn4• 11 years ago

I think some manufacturers now make unicycles with double the range than the one you had.

Double or more, the gotway 680 is advertised for ~40 miles/70km (on flat ground anyway)

pkfrank• 11 years ago

I see people zipping through NYC on these. Usually on dedicated running/biking paths (E River, West Side Highway), but occasionally on city streets and sidewalks, as well.

I'm always concerned I'll see them hit an unexpected pothole or raised lip at speed and absolutely bite it into traffic.

nobrains• 11 years ago

Its like the monster (Professor Callaghan) from Big Hero 6.

jahnu• 11 years ago

Seen a guy with what looked like a DIY version practising on the street...

https://vid.me/5PVq

tempodox• 11 years ago

It does look a little less bulky than a Sedgeway but also less comfortable.

JulianMorrison3• 11 years ago

I've been seeing them around increasingly in Reading and London. It may be a new trend?

reitanqild• 11 years ago

I saw the thing live for the first time back in May. Today I have seen 2 or three teenagers with those without even looking.

Then again that is here in the "suburbs", can't remember having seen any of them in the city where I work. (I did see a longboard on my way to work just the other day though.)

cfontes• 11 years ago

You can see a lot of those things in Auckland too, also a few in Perth/WA

The are pretty fast in my opnion but when I checked also very expensive. (+/- 2000k)

In cities where you get a a decent but "not reaching your home" metro(subway) this thing is very handy.

madaxe_again• 11 years ago

Neat, but refusal to update legislation will kill this like Segway, the sinclair c5, etc. Can have a Segway in the UK but am only allowed to drive it in your living room. Useful.

Governments want people to keep buying petrochemical cars - it's wildly profitable for them - and why else would anyone be in government other than for personal profit?

jchrisa2• 11 years ago

The electric longboard is the non-goofy version of this.

patcheudor2• 11 years ago

This year at Black Hat Vegas there were a few people gliding around on similar devices in the hallways. It struck me that here is yet another device to help geeks live a sedentary lifestyle.

Someone12344• 11 years ago

Holy heck, what a negative outlook.

It could be, I don't know, people find them fun and like to have fun? I know, crazy, but just consider it.

throwaway77674• 11 years ago

Being fun and a net negative for health are not mutually exclusive.

I ride an e-bike. After I got it, my physical shape deteriorated rapidly as my primary means of exercise was reduced. Now I make a conscious effort to turn off the assist once in a while to get some exercise.

masklinn4• 11 years ago

It struck me that here is yet another device to help geeks live a sedentary lifestyle.

How does a device whose whole purpose is to move around "help live a sedentary lifestyle"?

throwaway77674• 11 years ago

How does a device whose whole purpose is to move around "help live a sedentary lifestyle"?

sedentary, adj. 1. characterized by or requiring a sitting posture: a sedentary occupation. 2. accustomed to sit or rest a great deal or to take little exercise.

So, sedentary refers to not getting enough exercise. If you replace walking with one of these, your lifestylie is more sedentary than it was.

Brakenshire• 11 years ago

Yeah. It's also a bit of worry, because it potentially undermines the combined benefits which you get from pedestrian/cycle/bus friendly transportation policy, of efficient use of city space, and improved health for individuals. When efficiency goes up against health, we all know which comes out on top.

cjbenedikt• 11 years ago

Have a look at this from Seattle: http://solowheelseattle.com/products/solowheel

tim333• 11 years ago

The Telegraph has a less accomplished reporter falling off a similar machine http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11418069/AirWheel-...

Airwheel – electronic thingamy some Sydney residents are using to get about

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