Onewheel

Onewheel is a self-balancing single wheel electric board-sport, recreational personal transporter, often described as an electric skateboard. Unlike the electric unicycle, the riders feet (and body) are typically pointed at a perpendicular angle to the wheel and direction of travel. [1][2][3][4]

Future Motion Inc.
TypePrivately Held
IndustryElectronic Transport
Founded2014
FounderKyle Doerksen
Headquarters
Santa Cruz, CA
,
United States
ProductsOriginal Onewheel, Onewheel+, Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint
Websiteonewheel.com

History

The Onewheel was invented by Future Motion Inc. founder and CEO, Kyle Doerksen. Doerksen holds multiple engineering degrees from Stanford University. Doerksen spent 8 years creating Onewheel prototypes before starting Future Motion Inc. in 2013. Doerksen founded Future Motion Inc. in 2013 and launched Onewheel on Kickstarter on January 6, 2014 . The Kickstarter exceeded its campaign goal of $100,000 and reached over $630,000 by January 27, 2014.[5] Future Motion Inc. was first headquartered in Mountain View, California, in 2013. In 2015 Future Motion Inc. moved its headquarters to Santa Cruz, California and operated out of the Old Wrigley Building. In 2018 it moved to a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) facility within Santa Cruz city limits.[6]

Onewheel models

The original model, Onewheel Original, had a range of 4–6 mi (6.5–9.5 km) and a top speed of 13 mph (20 km/h). It was announced on Kickstarter and shown at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 6, 2014; it is now discontinued.[7] The subsequent version,Onewheel+, introduced in January, 2017 and now also discontinued, had an improved range of 5–7 mi (8–11.5 km) and top speed of 19 mph (30 km/h) [8] [9]

There are two current versions, Onewheel Pint, with a range of 6–8 mi (9.5–13 km) and top speed of 16 mph (25 km/h) ; and 'Onewheel+ XR with a range of 12–18 mi (20–30 km) and top speed of 19 mph (30 km/h)[10] [9]

Operation

The Onewheel is ridden by mounting the board with rear foot first and then placing the front foot on the pad pressing both sensors on the left and right side of front footpad. When the rider comes to level, the motor will engage and begin self-balancing. The device will accelerate forward when the rider leans forward and decelerate when the rider leans back. Turning is accomplished similarly to a skateboard or snowboard. Leaning the body toward toe or heel side of the board will cause the board to track side to side.

Dismounting is accomplished by slowing to a stop and lifting the heel of the front foot off the sensor pad. This disengages the motor and the rear of the board can be lowered to the ground allowing the rider to step off the board. The Onewheel Pint model has an additional mode called Simplestop, in which the rider only needs to slow to a stop and then slowly roll back and the board will disengage, allowing the rider to dismount.[11][12][13] All models use 'pushback' to warn the rider that they are about to reach the maximum safe speed.[14]

All models are usable independently of a smartphone, however, riders can use Bluetooth to connect to an app with which the user can make changes to different functions; the app was first released alongside the Onewheel Original in 2014 for Android and iOS.

Notable events
  • ISPO AWARD – In 2016, thefirm received the ISPO Award for its work in the wheeled electronics category.[15]

Similar devices

Self-balancing "1-wheel" scooters have been produced by Ben Smither[16] since 2006 from the UK with the help of open source information shared by Trevor Blackwell. Smither's design used a motor with a band to rotate the wheel.[17]

Onewheel Groups

There are Onewheel dedicated groups growing around the world. As the Onewheel was growing in popularity, groups like Onewheel Owners Groups started on Facebook. As membership grew, and members became established in the community, small local groups started growing like Onewheel AZ.[18] These local groups are dedicated to helping riders find and learn from each other while building and guiding the regulation of the Onewheel.

References
  1. "Test driving the Onewheel+ XR on the streets of New York". CNET. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  2. Newcomb, Tim (6 January 2016). "Tech Talk: Onewheel offers every board rider a whole new on-land sport". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  3. Tweedie, Steven (9 April 2015). "I rode the one-wheeled skateboard of the future around New York City — and people kept stopping me to ask where to get one". Business Insider. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. George, Alexander (10 April 2015). "This is What it's Like to Ride a One-Wheeled Skateboard". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  5. "Onewheel :: The Self-Balancing Electric Skateboard". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  6. Gumz, Jondi (October 30, 2018). "Startup Onewheel embarks on expansion". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  7. "Onewheel_Owners_User_Manual_v1.0 " (PDF). p. 41. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  8. "Onewheel_UserManual_v2.3" (PDF). p. 55. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  9. "Onewheel Website". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  10. "Onewheel_UserManual_v2.3" (PDF). p. 54. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  11. "Onewheel Nosedive – Onewheel Crash". E-surfer. December 23, 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  12. "GLIDER for Onewheel Ride safe, ride smart, and never lug around your Onewheel again". SynergyWiz. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  13. "Onewheel Nosedive Wheels". The Sideways Movement. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  14. "Push Back". Onewheel. Future Motion Inc. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  15. "Pure Innovation". Ispo.com. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  16. Smither, Ben. "robosys - balancing board". Robosys.
  17. Smither, Ben (March 4, 2007). "Ben Smither - Balancing Scooter/Skateboard". YouTube.
  18. Onewheel, AZ. "Onewheel AZ - The largest group of Onewheel riders in Arizona". Onewheel AZ.

Further reading
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