Monday, March 12, 2007
Ben Smither demonstrates his one-wheeled skateboard
It's not quite a Back To The Future-style hoverboard – but it's getting there. A man from Norwich has created a motorised skateboard that has three wheels fewer than normal… so now all we need is to find a way to get rid of that last wheel, and we'll be living in the future.
Ben Smither's one-wheeled skateboard works in a similar way to the Segway – the self-balancing transportation device that was supposed to revolutionise how people moved around. His one-wheeled skateboard moves under its own power, and changes direction and speed in response to its rider's position.
Smithers says on his website: 'It's very similar to a snowboard to ride, requiring no user input other than the movement of your body mass.
'Leaning forwards and backwards controls the velocity and moving your weight from heal to toe controls the turn radius. It's easy and very intuitive to ride.'
The skateboard only cost Ben around £300 to make – although he says he's been developing projects based around the same idea for several years.
The Back To The Future hoverboard: still doesn't exist, annoyingly
However, anybody hoping to buy one in the near future may have to wait a while – Ben doesn't hold out much hope of being able to patent his magnificent contraption.
'Believe me,' he told the Hack A Day website, 'I've looked at patents. Unfortunately what I've made seams to be squarely covered by Segway's patent.'
Might inform those who dont know but a bunch of BCIT students, had built the same contraption back in early 2005 i believe , allthoe a little bit more crude on the finished product, it was still a one wheeled skateboard
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The only competition in this game of life is yourself. And once in a while, someone touches your imagination and sparks a dream.
Is it just me or does this seem to be waaay more mass marketable than the damned segway. Made for less money. Looks like fun
theres a ton more appeal to this thing than the segway -- its going to demand more skill not having a big clunky handlebar to hold onto. and it looks a lot closer to a hoverboard for the same reason! kudos to Ben for pushing through with an innovation. second thing I'd add after the big Pink Gumball, is a gripped, hump-shaped cover over the wheel so you could basically walk over the top, no chance of touching the ball with your feet.
the patent infringement all depends on the number of claims and then lawyer$. I hope Ben can work something out where he takes design credit, segway mfg's and sells it and gives Ben some royalties??
I have a limited knowledge of patent law but I've seen what pharmaceutical companies do. Change one hydroxyl group here or there and you have a whole new drug that can have it's own patent. Seems like if he changed a couple of small things in the architecture of the software or in the circuits that he had to build to make it work he could get away with his own patent. Of course I'm only bringing this up because I want one.
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Couple of months left in Davie.....
warning..not a hoverboard...
