Electric unicycle

An electric unicycle (EUC) is a self-balancing personal transporter with a single wheel. The rider controls the speed by leaning forwards or backwards, and steers by twisting the unit using their feet. The self-balancing mechanism uses gyroscopes and accelerometers.

Self-balancing unicycles at 'Paris sans Voiture' (Paris without cars), September 2015.

Operation

Most commercial units are self-balancing in the direction of travel only (single axis) with lateral stability being provided by the rider; more complex fully self-balancing dual-axis devices also need to self-balance from side to side. The control mechanisms of both use control moment gyroscopes, reaction wheels and/or auxiliary pendulums and can be considered to be inverted pendulum.

History
Trevor Blackwell demonstrates his prototype

Early experimentation
See also Monowheel

A hand-power monowheel was patented in 1869 by Richard C. Hemming[1] with a pedal-power unit patented in 1885.[2] Various motorized monowheels were developed and demonstrated during the 1930s without commercial success[3] and Charles F Taylor was granted a patent for a "vehicle having a single supporting and driving wheel" in 1964 after some 25 years of experimentation.[4]

Commercialisation

In 2003, Bombardier announced a conceptual design for such a device used as a sport vehicle, the Embrio.[5] In September 2004 Trevor Blackwell demonstrated a functional self-balancing unicycle, using the control-mechanism similar to that used by the Segway PT and published the designs as the Eunicycle. In November 2006 Janick and Marc Simeray filed a US patent for a compact seatless device,[6]. In 2008 RYNO Motors demonstrated their prototype unit.[7] In January 2009 Focus Designs demonstrates electric unicycle to Segway inventor.[8] In March 2010 Shane Chen of Inventist filed a patent application for a seatless electric unicycle (associated with the "Solowheel" product launched in February 2011[9]). In Oct 2010 Focus Designs published a video of an electric unicycle with hub motor and a seat.[10] Late in 2015, the Ford Motor Company patented a "self-propelled unicycle engagable with vehicle", intended for last-mile commuters.[11]

  • Device in use
  • Front view of a solowheel
  • Hemming's Unicycle, or "Flying Yankee Velocipede", was a hand powered monowheel patented in 1869 by Richard C. Hemming
  • 1931 monowheel by Goventosa

Companies

See also

References
  1. Improvement in velocipede, 1869
  2. US Patent 325,548
  3. "One-wheeled motorcycles: As cool as they are wildly dangerous". Wired. 24 March 2014.
  4. US Patent 3,145,797
  5. "Hot Wheel". Forbes.
  6. US patent 6,616,313 Motorized transport vehicle for a pedestrian
  7. "A brief history of the RYNO". RYNO.
  8. "SBU meet the Segway | Self-Balancing Unicycle | Focus Designs, Inc". focusdesigns.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  9. "Solowheel self-balancing unicycle is as easy to ride as it is to afford". Wngadget. 2011-02-11.
  10. focusdesigns (2010-10-11), Self Balancing Unicycle (SBU) V2.0, retrieved 2018-10-07
  11. Read, Richard (December 29, 2015). "Ford Patent Could Transform Your Car Into A Unicycle". The Car Connection. Internet Brns Automotive Group. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  12. ANALOG — Science Fiction/Science Fact, Vol. LXXXIII, No. 5, July 1969, pp. 120-151. Illustrations by Peter Skirka.
  13. Solowheel
  14. http://no-en.segway.com/about-us-(1)
  15. https://www.ninebot.cn/
  16. https://www.inmotionworld.com/company/who-we-are
  17. https://www.kebye.com/
  18. https://www.kingsong.com/list-13.html
  19. https://medium.com/@shanewhilde/what-we-know-about-the-veteran-sherman-electric-unicycle-591db2d4a70a
  20. http://www.leaperkim.com/

Further reading
Research papers (in reverse date order)
Other
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