Build Your Own Monowheel

glengineer writes "Just when you thought it was safe to buy a Segway, Popular Sci has an article on the Monster Monowheel, an 1,100 pound single wheel 'scooter'. From the article: '...works on the hamster-in-a-wheel principle: Move a wheel's center of gravity forward and the wheel turns.' It has an 80cc four-stroke Honda scooter engine and 80 pounds of lead for ballast. Scary part: the driver's seat is in the very front, and the seat scrapes the ground when braking really hard." The builder's website is theriotwheel.com.

Comments

It looks really wide...

[adrianbaugh]

... and since the tyre profile looks quite rectangular I guess it's "wheely" hard to steer ;-)

Re:It looks really wide...

[wankledot]

What would be cool would be two large wheels in the back, with the ability to power one more than the other. Then they could be rectangular for better traction, plus you could turn on a dime (literally) and spin in place. You could work out a differential system to turn them both in the same direction for top speed, or power one more than the other to turn. Or to do it simply (but inefficiently) upt brakes on them and slow the right one down to turn right, etc.

You're right though, if it was one large wheel you would need some secondary method for steering, unlike the other one-wheel devices that rely on leaning right/left on a more motorcycle-like rounded tire.

Re:It looks really wide...

[AmericanInKiev]

As it is - it could be useful for strange locations.

We talk about humvees being the all terrain vehicle, but in the end - the ability to "port" the vehicle (carry by hand) is what makes a vehicle trully All terrain.

a mono wheel maximized diameter while minimizing size - it is therefore the optimal design for an all terrain vehicle.

AIK

See also...

[fiannaFailMan]

Someone linked to this when we had the article about the Bombardier Embrio, another cool concept employing segway-type gyroscopic action.

Re:See also...

[Monkelectric]

I find Maddox's segway design ideas intriging.

What impresses me MOST...

[YankeeInExile]

... is that they have a version that is licensed as a motorvehicle in California.

Re:What impresses me MOST...

[Deraj DeZine]

Rear-end impact, 5 MPH: wheel tipped forward, occupant thrown forward onto ground and run over by vehicle. Slightly above-average damage (approx. 7 standard deviations above the mean for CA motor vehicles).

Front-end impact, 5 MPH: occupant's legs broken off, driver seat torn off and subsequently run over by vehicle. Comparable economic impact to modern SUV damage estimates.

Side impact, 5 MPH: vehicle tipped on side, occupant's left arm broken off, driver seat broken off due to shear force and subsequently crushed under vehicle. Comparable results to Segway Human Transporter.

Head-on impact, 120 MPH combined: occupant broken into several pieces, many of which fused to the vehicle and subsequently crushed under weight of vehicle. Comparable to average damage when involved in a collision with an SUV.

Re:What impresses me MOST...

[Maxwell'sSilverLART]

is that they have a version that is licensed as a motorvehicle in California.

You're impressed that California found a way to tax this thing? I'd be impressed if the builders found a way to avoid it.

Ummmm

[cybermace5]

I'm not so sure that it's a good idea to ride a vehicle that, if it fails at high speed, will run the driver over. All it takes is for something to seize up a little bit.

Re:Ummmm

[cybermace5]

But a motorcycle's front wheel is free-rolling, and the cycle has a lower center of gravity. The monowheel already scrapes the ground when braking, it's not very stable as far as pitch is concerned. The driver is basically a bump on a 1100-pound wheel, and if something happens, it's all gonna roll.

Re:Ummmm

[Lord Kano]

I'm not so sure that it's a good idea to ride a vehicle that, if it fails at high speed, will run the driver over. All it takes is for something to seize up a little bit.

Seriously, did you read the article? The driver is held in place by a counterbalance. Even with no power, the rules of physics do not change.

LK

Re:Ummmm

[neurojab]

>The driver is held in place by a counterbalance. Even with no power, the rules of physics do not change.

Indeed. If the mechanism that allows the wheel to spin independently of the driver were to sieze up at 60MPH, what do you imagine would happen to that massive wheel's rotational inertia?

It woudn't be pretty.

Re:Ummmm

[cybermace5]

I imagine a very comical-yet-terrifying leap into the air followed by a large amount of spinning and bouncing. Of course, the driver would be dead before the wheel came down for the first bounce.

Re:Ummmm

[KarmaBlackballed]

Unless the counterbalance can adjust position without power, an engine seize at high speed will result in the following series of events:

1. Wheel locks up. (Conservation of momentum requires that the vehicle continue moving forward.)
2. Because of the seize event, the frame now spins with the wheel.
3. Look who is spinning with the frame, that flat guy. See him, no look now, see him? No look again, there he is, wait, he will spin back around, see him now?

Cool, the latest from apple: The iWheel.

[Anonymous Coward]

Can I get an Envirofriendly Gas Hybrid Model in Candy Apple Red?

and does it have an iPod hookup?

Nifty!

[FrYGuY101]

When I read the summary, I thought "Oh, like the one on Monster Garage". For those of you who didn't see the one they featured (briefly), there was a monowheel with a Caddilac engine, and the rider rode on the inside... at high speeds it was unstable until the designer added Stabilizing fins...

But, for those of you who don't RTFA: You ride in FRONT of the wheel. It's *really* fuggin' cool looking.

Scary part:

[Anonymous Coward]

Scary part: the driver's seat is in the very front, and the seat scrapes the ground when braking really hard.

In other words, Ford owners will feel right at home.

Crazy

[Anonymous Coward]

Check out www.zekewheel.com too, if you want a non-motorized wheel to ride inside of downhill.

The Bikers know how do to it

[pvt_medic]

Just check this site out where a bunch of harley riding bikers have created their own monowheel thingy.

Automobile Mag

Re:The Bikers know how do to it

[Etcetera]

Here's a video link from a link from the article. It's described as what "must be the first operational V8 monowheel."

Nifty! Though I do like the RIOTWheel too...

I love the diagram on their site...

[BitWarrior]

Particularly the labeling of the rider as - "Dummy". I may have to agree with that assessment ;-)

Steamroller

[RotJ]

The most obvious use for this vehicle is to run over those snotty people using Segways. Of course, I guess you'd have to back up over them.

Whackety - Whack! Don't Talk Back

[Anonymous Coward]

If this goes south on him/her, it has got to make one of the best "Whackety-splat-whackety-splat" sounds the world has ever heard. 1,100 pounds and stabilized on the horizontal axis by only 65 pounds of gyros? If you have ever seen a gyro fail at high speed, well, uh, can you say mincemeat?

Amazing

[dirtsurfer]

Clown technology has really come a long way

This is new?

[Deadstick]

There's a vehicle out there that really IS a monowheel -- it has no axle at all. It's a one-wheeled motorcycle with the driver inside the wheel...I've seen it demonstrated at motorcycle shows. The frame, holding the seat and engine, runs on a circular steel monorail with a tire around the outside of it, about 6 feet in diameter.

It's also a very retro-looking thing, built sometime around the early Thirties.

rj

How much would 'they' charge

[kurt555gs]

In Illinois the Tollway Authority charges 'per axle'

I wonder if this would be free?

Cheers

What a great idea!

[Deraj DeZine]

All the safety of a poorly-made, precarious go-cart, but with the weight and fuel economy of a small car.

Re:Is it just me?

[seanadams.com]

For some people maybe... as far as I'm concerned everyone should be allowed to drive whatever they want as long as:

a) they can go fast enough, stop fast enough, and maneuver well enough to avoid inconveniencing or endangering other drivers.

b) in the event of an impact they will not unduly endanger the lives of others. i.e. a car can be strong enough to protect you without being so heavy that it's guaranteed to destroy anything it hits.

So by my rules there would be no gas guzzling, top heavy, overweight, unmaneuverable SUVs on the road. But monocycles would be just fine by me if you want to ride one.

Personally I drive a little 2 door that stops faster than 99% of the cars on the road, can swerve around a hazard with ease, and weighs less than 3K lbs so it won't kill you if I run into your bumper. And it's got four airbags and a strong frame in case you run into me. If you want to ride a monocycle go ahead - you're endangering me less than the asshole in his Expedition, and you're doubltess aware of the... er "safety limitations" of your own vehicle and won't be dicking around those guys in their living rooms on wheels.

My Monowheel Experience

[Sexual Ass Gerbil]

I had a chance to test drive a monowheel last summer. The first time I had trouble learning how to steer all over again, Because of the high center of balance (hint: it's just below the line of radial symmetry), you must be very careful while turning to avoid tipping the vehicle over! This is especially tricky because slowing down for a turn results in gerbilling (see below for a definition) where the driver is swung up from the base of the vehicle, further raising the center of gravity at a time when you need it as low as possible. Fortunately, the second time I mastered the trick of bringing the vehicle to a near stop in order to make sharp corner turns. I've (fortunately!) had several opportunities to drive one since then and my skills have improved.

For those interested, monowheel vehicles have a vocabularity of their own. For example, gerbilling is when a rider rotates around inside a monowheel due to a sudden force (such as when the wheel stops), much like what happens when a rodent stops running in an exercise wheel. Another loss of rotational control is due to the snowball effect. Snowballing is when a monowheel develops a coating of snow while rolling in much the same way you might build up layers on a snowball by rolling it. Be very careful when driving these things during winter! Monowheels are very efficient vehicles and even when driven on nearly flat ground-- even a small gradient can lead to rolling out of control.

Monowheels will never be practical vehicles. However, as recreation vehicles, they are quite fun. They're a ride, literally. There's nothing quite like steering around in one of them and feeling the unique forces that can only be felt inside of a big moving wheel. I can tell you personally that gerbilling and snowballing are both enjoyable activities assuming you take the right precautions.

Oh, crap.

[ro_coyote]

Scary part: the driver's seat is in the very front, and the seat scrapes the ground when braking really hard.

Well, it seems two definitions of the term "tire tracks" will finally meet...