To say I've never had much a talent for skateboarding would be
the understatement of the year. A year that we currently less than
a week into, you'll note. But at CES in Las Vegas, I
discovered that all it takes is a little imagination and some
clever physics for people to develop talents they'd always
considered far beyond their reach
Thanks to the world's first self-balancing electric skateboard,
I managed not only to stand up, remain on the board and travel
forward, but even swerve like Bart Simpson dodging traffic. Even
better, it didn't even require a set of wheels -- I only needed
one.
The Onewheel is the brainchild of Kyle Doerksen, an experienced
engineer and snowboarding enthusiast. He wanted to bring the feel
of snowboarding to the pavement, which is why he created this
electric vehicle that can travel at gracefully at speed without the
need for powder.
Doerksen helped me on with the helmet and told me to place my
right foot on the board, which when resting leans against the
ground like an unbalanced seesaw. Pushing off with my right foot, I
gingerly placed my left on the floating end of the board. Before I
knew it I was upright and -- in spite of my nerves -- mostly
steady. Pressing down with my right foot, the board shot forward,
and with Doerksen spotting me I experienced the joy of
skateboarding for the very first time.
Don't
miss
Before I knew it, I was ready to start turning, progressing from
rookie to fully fledged skater girl in what must have been record
time. I jest, of course -- while the skateboard compensates for
side-to-side clumsiness in the direction of travel, it can do
nothing for you if you sway every which way like a jack-in-the-box.
Still, for a novice, it was remarkably easy to get the hang of.
The next big challenge was the dismount. It's all very well
balancing when both feet are on the board, but I had a feeling that
the moment I attempted to lift one off, I would go crashing to the
floor like Bambi on ice. Doerksen assured me that it would be a
breeze. All I had to do was lift right toes up and the board sunk
gently to the floor, allowing me to dismount gracefully with my
dignity in tact.
If you fancy trying the Onewheel yourself, you will be able to
soon. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, it's
been available in the US for a little while now, but the good news
is that it will be coming to the UK in the next few months.
Source Article from http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-01/06/onewheel-self-balancing-skateboard http://cdni.wired.co.uk/620x413/o_r/onewheel.jpg
Riding the Onewheel self-balancing skateboard is easy, even for rookies
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