If an 18 Year Old Can Do This...

here is an email i received about an EV cycle invented by an 18 year old which as we all know is fair competition for all the other transportation companies out there right?

How cool is this..... My first question was which end is the front.



From the photos below I think it will take a brave sole to want to go fast on this thing.


A young inventor has created a motorbike with a twist - it uses two wheels but they are positioned right next to each other, giving it the illusion of being a powered unicycle. And even better, it might help save the planet. Ben Gulak has spent several years building the electric Uno that uses gyroscopic technology - like the infamous Segway commuter device - to stay upright.
The bizarre-looking contraption has only one switch - on or off - and is controlled entirely by body movement. The rider leans forwards to accelerate to speeds of 25mph and back to slow down. It has two wheels side-by-side and has been turning heads wherever it has been ridden.


Ben Gulak designed the Uno himself with the help of a simple 3D program The green machine is so small and light it can be taken indoors and carried into lifts - and is recharged by being plugged into the mains. The wheels are completely independent, allowing the bike to turn on a sixpence and the technology takes the balance and guesswork out of riding a unicycle.
Its 18-year-old creator is now looking for investors to get the Uno into production and onto the streets. Ben, from Ontario , Canada , said: 'I was inspired to make the bike after visiting China a few years ago and seeing all the smog. 'They all drive little bikes that are really polluting and I wanted to make something to combat that. 'I started with the concept because if something doesn't look cool people just won't be interested.

The Uno works like a Segway - just tilt your body forward to start moving

Ben Gulak turns heads from onlookers as he rides past them 'After coming up with the concept I started to build it and now have the first prototype and the reaction has been amazing.
'It has two wheels side by side and that means it is easier to turn as they are completely independent and have their own suspension.
'The bike has a 'neutral point' and when you lean forward it accelerates to keep the neutral point in the right place.

'It has a couple of gyros and is basically self-balancing - it takes the guesswork out of riding a unicycle. 'The bike takes a bit of getting used to because you have to learn to trust it. But it doesn't take long.
'It takes any weight and weighs 120 lbs and can fit into a lift so you can take it indoors to charge it up. 'Currently it has a top speed of 25mph, but that will be increased greatly with bigger motors.
'It has a range of about 2.5 hours and it is designed for the commute to work through busy towns. I believe this could be electrical alternative to the car. I'm just looking for an investor to help me get it into production.





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Creator of The Eagle's View
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its slow, but its still transportation and maybe we need to look at regulations governing use of NEV's since this is simply a smaller version...

obtw, i know someone who has a segway. his range is much shorter making it ineffective for commuting and his speed is MUCH slower making it illegal to use on the roads around here.

otoh, NEV's are legal here, so your Segway argument does not work, at least here it doesnt

 

well, lets face it. i would not use it. too old, but for younger commuters living in very congested cities, i would think it ideal. parking is an expensive proposition in NY... u could take this with you, or at least lock it to something if going into a store or something.

but its an idea, an option we currently are not using and we still need to understand that what we are doing now HAS TO CHANGE

the video says it does 15 mph, the email says 25 mph. well 15 mph will not go on the streets and sidewalks are out.

 

daniel if we could recognize "something useful" or better yet "something marketable"

we would be as rich as the people on that show. i cant tell you how much stuff that has come out where i simply could not see the appeal, but they were successful anyway.

for the dense urban city dweller where parking is a premium, there will be a market. might be pizza delivery, courier services, etc, something, but at 120 lbs, it becomes valuable in cramped over-built places

 

twitter i can see especially if you have a lot of users. a few on there for example, David Pogue is a tech writer for the NY Times. he frequently asks questions concerning user experiences on various items he is researching. great way to get immediate input.

but again, that only works if you have a large following. as with all systems and ideas, not everyone uses the technology in the best or wisest way and that seems to apply to Twitter more than anything at least up to this point.

but what i am talking about to a lesser extent is like the Hula Hoop (granted does have some exercise benefit) then there are others i simply have no comment over (mood rings, pet rocks, etc)

but what about explosive items like the ipod... its seems a no brainer now and its popularity has simply created a 5 fold increase in media available to it making all that more useful. but i remember very clearly when it was introduced. it was WAAAY over priced and never thought it would do more than a niche business and the only option was music purchases from the i-tunes store... well, it pretty much single-handedly destroyed the music store business

now ya know why Steve Jobs makes the money he makes (he is on my VERY short list of executives that feel are worth more than a few hundred thou a year. he makes 10 time more money for his company than what they pay him)