Heavy Duty Electric Unicycle Maker Takes On Segway 93
formaggio writes "Designer Chris Hoffmann developed the Ryno, a heavy duty electric unicycle with a top speed of 25 mph, a range of up to 30 miles and an impressive 25-inch thick tire. The cost for a pre-production Ryno is a whopping $25,000, and Hoffmann already has five orders, but he expects the market model to cost about $3,500."
First one-wheeled post (Score:5, Funny)
I'm trying to post from my phone while controlling the unicycle using only my ass. It takes some skill but I think I got it under con^C^C NO CARRIER
Re:First one-wheeled post (Score:5, Funny)
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I'm trying to post from my phone while controlling the unicycle using only my ass. It takes some skill but I think I got it under con^C^C NO CARRIER
Obviously your ass was not wide enough. TFA and TFS both state the tyres are 25 inches thick. That's in serious hamburger territory, and you better weigh well over 150 kg to be able to span that with your ass.
Or did they mean 25 inches diameter?
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-GiH
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It's pretty obvious from the photo that the article is only semi-literate, and should have stated "a 25 inch diameter tire that is thick" (looks like 5-6" or so thick).
BC Comic (Score:4, Insightful)
When looking at the pictures does anyone get the feeling of the BC Comic?
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Not enough ham-fisted christian proselytizing.
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Not enough ham-fisted christian proselytizing.
I never figured out how cavemen could be Christians. The name of the strip stands for Before Christ, for chrissake.
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IIRC, BC actually takes place in a future post-apocalyptic setting, not the distant past. Wrap your brain around that.
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When looking at the pictures does anyone get the feeling of the BC Comic?
If you want the "BC" experience, there are unicycles that are very much like what appeared in the comic - that is, a wheel with an axle that you stand on. They actually do call them "BC" unicycles.
Those things scare me a little. :)
Re:BC Comic (Score:5, Informative)
I got one; I've generally heard it called a "BC wheel" or an "Impossible Wheel". Could never get the hang of riding the thing - with a normal unicycle (or even its cousin the Ultimate Wheel) you can put pressure on the pedals to stop the unicycle whizzing off and leaving you to fall to the ground. With a BC wheel you just have to balance incredibly well - it's hard. Some people (often younger people, I think) can pick up the balance quite quickly.
Some folks made an ace video of some properly skillful BC riding:
http://vimeo.com/7390720 [vimeo.com]
I like seeing unicycles mentioned on Slashdot because balance sports generally seem to be enjoyed by tech-minded people. I suspect it's because they can require an intense but non-intellectual concentration - and possibly because they are non-competitive, unconventional and still easy to enjoy even when there's nobody else to join in.
Re:BC Wheel (Score:2)
I got one; I've generally heard it called a "BC wheel" or an "Impossible Wheel". Could never get the hang of riding the thing - with a normal unicycle (or even its cousin the Ultimate Wheel) you can put pressure on the pedals to stop the unicycle whizzing off and leaving you to fall to the ground. With a BC wheel you just have to balance incredibly well - it's hard.
Heh, suddenly I'm tempted to try and learn it. Though I don't know where I'd practice these days... As a kid I never really spent a lot of time trying to develop those kinds of skills (apart from learning unicycle, I mean - I didn't learn to do much in the way of unicycle tricks, for instance). But when I see people practicing skateboard tricks and stuff - just hanging around, trying things, possibly hurting themselves and getting up to do it again - I can easily imagine those people riding a BC. I know
Does it come with airbags? (Score:2)
All i can see happening is an improved version of the Segway Faceplant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3gGav63_sE [youtube.com]
Wonder how long these devices will be made for before being sued out of existence, but then again Segway, Inc is doing alright. Out of curiosity aside from looking really cool and all, what exactly is the advantage of having one wheel vs two? It looks like it performs about the same as a low speed scooter.
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Out of curiosity aside from looking really cool and all, what exactly is the advantage of having one wheel vs two?
Easier tire replacement?
(Seriously, this is a silly novelty vehicle)
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So could we consider a Segway Faceplant to be a Segplant?
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Less weight, less rolling resistance, smaller footprint, I imagine. The bigger wheel lets you roll over more surfaces, bumps, etc.
Get the speed and range up with a price under $4k and you have an awesome commuter vehicle alternative.
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For urban-to-urban commuting, the 25 mph top speed is sufficient. Urban roadways have a speed limit of 30 mph and, during rush hour, rarely hit that speed due to the congestion. For suburban-to-urban commuting, 25 mph ain't going to cut it.
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In general it is taking the space of a single person. Allows this to be rode where people are normally walking. as TFA points out its key advantage over the Segway is that you can sit down on it so it can be drove longer.
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Driods (Score:2)
Does it take voice commands and say "Roger, Roger"? It really reminds of a cross between battle droids and droid decar with a cyborg feel to it.
Wonder how it would handle off road or on sand?
Old News - was on H.A.D. back in Aug (Score:1)
For Super rating on the post, i'll just copy the good HAD comments here, all in one post!
"It’s like a high-powered Segway and a unicycle got it on"
"Looks amazing.
But what a “face plant” under heavy braking."
"20 mph top speed with a 30 mile range?
try a bicycle."
"Monocycle perhaps?"
"It’s a darn good thing the Ryno comes with a Windshield so you can use it in the rain! "
http://hackaday.com/2010/08/20/electric-motorcycle-rocks-one-wheel/ [hackaday.com]
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The windshield on any sport motorcycle is useful only for its *named* purpose, to deflect wind ever so slightly up as to be less of a nuisance to the rider. Any sport bike rider who can actually use their windshield for looking through probably uses it to commute to the circus. Have you ever wondered why they dont bother putting a wiper on them?
Homebrew from several years ago (Score:2)
Two wheeled original version [tlb.org]
Unicycle version [tlb.org]
Check out the video link on the Unicycle page, it's pretty amusing to watch him try and stop.
Advantages vs a bike - none/few? (Score:2)
How would this be better than a short wheelbase bike (which would inherently have more stability)? Yes you can do a quick 180 turn, but how often is that necessary?
I guess having a short rear - anti wheelie outrigger wheel (like those seen on wheelchairs) would take away the "magic" of the device, or make it seem less reliable.
Somebody give me a convincing argument.
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Pretty Cool, Probably Won't Change Things Much (Score:4, Insightful)
At a market price at $3,500, it will take on Segway nicely. Still, the vast majority of people can get a bike for ~$100 and achieve similiar speeds. Even if they were to step up, it would be likely to some electric bike rather than one of these.
If I really was hot for personal transport of this sort, a Sym Symba (quality Honda Cub knockoff) can at least achieve $50 and isn't much bigger, plus a $1k less. Gas powered though.
When I was 16, I was thinking there has a market for an ultra small car, 1 passenger, if they can get it here for less than $5k or so. Just a town roundabout. Something that could achieve highway speeds but not much higher, like say 90mph, and any trunk space is minimal. When I see high school parking lots throughout the country with these big (sometimes initially expensive) clunkers.
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Depends on the state and if you're climbing hills, where the real top speed is much lower than on flat ground.
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My commute and everyday errands don't even require highway travel, so a max speed of
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I agree - that's going to be the vehicle that revolutionizes transportation. I would trade my Accord in an instant for a $5,000-or-less electric commuter car with room for 1-2 people. 99% of my travel is going to work and back and the occasional errand.
Is $20,000 + close enough [mitsubishicars.com]?
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Probably not, given that the parent is looking for $5000 and you're suggesting 4x5000
Re:Pretty Cool, Probably Won't Change Things Much (Score:4, Insightful)
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When I was 16, I was thinking there has a market for an ultra small car, 1 passenger, if they can get it here for less than $5k or so. Just a town roundabout. Something that could achieve highway speeds but not much higher, like say 90mph, and any trunk space is minimal. When I see high school parking lots throughout the country with these big (sometimes initially expensive) clunkers.
The biggest reason that will never ever be a reality is as soon as you turn a vehicle out on the highway, it needs to be able to stand up to every other kind of vehicle in a crash (motorcycles being the exception, but you knew that.) The Smart Car is probably the smallest practical vehicle the US will ever see on it's roads, unless the landscape dramatically changes (i.e. gas prices increase 5x.)
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When I was 16, I was thinking there has a market for an ultra small car, 1 passenger, if they can get it here for less than $5k or so. Just a town roundabout. Something that could achieve highway speeds but not much higher, like say 90mph, and any trunk space is minimal. When I see high school parking lots throughout the country with these big (sometimes initially expensive) clunkers.
Renault Twizy? [renault-ze.com]
25 inch thick tyre WTF (Score:2)
What the fuck is a "tyre"? (Score:2)
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What could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Insightful)
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All goes well until you lose traction/limit your balancing torque. Some melted ice cream would be enough to faceplant a forward lean.
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Gimmick (Score:4, Insightful)
If instead of having a solid circular wheel, if the wheel had some variable geometry, (like the spokes were really linkages that could shrink or expand, if the spokes could be configured to create a notch some six inches deep) that be used to climb stairs, and once you reach the next level, the wheel becomes circular again, and you could roll along, then you are talking about something.
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Now that's one of the most creative comments I've heard
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re: variable wheel geometry, a multi-segment toroidal wheel (instead of a continuous, deformable wheel using shrinkable spokes) may be the way to go. air pressure could be dynamically varied in the toroid segments: pressure would reduce or increase in the segments to conform them to the terrain they are rolling over.
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Ah yes. Snow Crash.
But a tired unicycle might do much better on unimproved trails / paths / hills. Not everything is paved. Yet.
how do you stop it? (Score:4, Interesting)
With a 25mph top speed, how do you stop it in a hurry without ending up face down on the ground?
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Computer control to tilt you back.
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Computer control to tilt you back.
That sounds like how you'd do a normal stop, how do you do a panic stop?
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Computer control to tilt you back.
That sounds like how you'd do a normal stop, how do you do a panic stop?
And note that I've lifted the rear wheel of my motorcycle off the ground in a panic stop, so even if it tilts you all the way back so your back is touching the ground, it seems that you'd have limited stopping torque available.
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And note that I've lifted the rear wheel of my motorcycle off the ground in a panic stop, so even if it tilts you all the way back so your back is touching the ground, it seems that you'd have limited stopping torque available.
Consider this a built in safety feature. The vehicle pushes you into a recumbent position - butt down, feet forward - just before you crash into the wall / pedestrian / whatever. It's really the safest way to slide into something, assuming the something isn't an 18 wheeler.
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and many other things too (Score:1)
and [ebay.com] many [ebay.com] other [ebay.com] things [ebay.com] take [ebay.com] on [ebay.com] thing [electric-bikes.com] too [google.com]
starting saving my pennies (Score:2)
..but I doubt that it will be allowed on the roads,just as the Segway is banned from many places, but it would be so cool see it parked in with a group of motorcycles.
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Complete rip-off of Ben Gulak's Uno... (Score:4, Interesting)
http://bpg-motors.com/ [bpg-motors.com]
The Uno evolved into a transforming design, but the initial versions were almost identical to this newest effort.
At least the Uno solved the face-plant issue; At high speeds it transforms into a traditional 2 wheeled motorcycle form.
Re:Complete rip-off of Ben Gulak's Uno... (Score:4, Interesting)
Came here to see if any had posted this. Total rip-off. He was at this point over 4 years ago.
Article from 2008 here: http://www.popsci.com/node/21644 [popsci.com]
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Which was unveiled, at least in concept, in 2003 [forbes.com].
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Anyone else look at this ... (Score:2)
Random association time... (Score:2)
First thing this makes me think of is that scene with Lunch early in Dragonball Z...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT4H5qaWt0g [youtube.com]
Blonde-psycho mode, hauling ass on a motor-unicycle, big bag of ill-gotten loot in one arm, bazooka in the other, getting chased by cops... Good times.
Life imitating art (Score:2)
Life imitating art (Score:2)
SBU ryno (Score:1)
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existing tech (Score:1)
i saw an early vid of the Uno, but none of these things can touch my electric bike I bought in China and shipped back here to the US. Even this one, which is low powered by Chinese standards (10 Amp, 48 volt battery) goes 25-30 miles and hour, has seats for two and can easily carry two people with little power loss. I ride it to work every day, then leave at 5 and go to my son's school, pick him up and we ride home across campus and on the road s to our apartment, getting home by 5:30. With this schedule I