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Self-stabilizing gyrowheel makes training wheels obsolete
The gyrowheel would make it so that anyone learning to ride a bike — or just keep any ol' bike upright — wouldn't need training wheels to keep from falling over. The gyrowheel replaces the front wheel and contains a battery-powered, spinning disk inside of it, which in turn generates a gyroscopic precessional force and helps stabilize the bike. It should keep a bike upright in the face of wobbles, and the folks at Gyrobike claim that it teaches better riding practices, besides.
A 12" version of the gyrowheel is due out in December, with a 16" version landing next spring.
Check out a video on how the gyrowheel works after the jump.
OhGizmo!, via Auto Motto
By Qwerty at 6:58 PM ON 10/05/09
I never comment on this site.... but what a brilliant, genius invention! I can't believe no one thought of this before!!
By thisisonlyatest at 7:20 PM ON 10/05/09
I like this... I would get one of these for my daughter but I planned on teaching her the way my dad taught me...
He used to say things like "Why can't you ride a bike?" and "You should know how to ride". Then when I was in second grade, I taught myself how to ride after giving up on him teaching me anything ever. While I was learning, I wanted to show him how far I could go and when I said "watch this" and pedaled a few feet, he said "What am I watching?".
Obviously his method worked because otherwise I never could have rode 36 miles in one day... (never been so sore in my life)
By Neotyguy at 7:52 PM ON 10/05/09
Aww! This is cheap, I thought of this over 12 years ago! I just thought people already made it...
Damn...
By Neb at 8:48 PM ON 10/05/09
Ghost Ride the whip
By A_Kefka at 1:42 AM ON 10/06/09
This is a very great idea. One minor downside though, the same gyroscopic forces that keep it upright will make turning a bit tricky.
By Whomiga at 10:54 AM ON 10/06/09
Bicycle riding becomes easier once the bicycle gets up to speed because of the natural gyroscopic forces of the wheels. Thus turning should only get slightly harder with the gyroscope in the wheel causing a bit more gyroscopic force than normal.
By paranoid at 12:41 PM ON 10/06/09
Aaarh!
Somebody hacked my computer and stole my plans for a flying saurcer!
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
editor@dvice.com
paranoid:
Aaarh! Somebody hacked my computer and stole my plans for a flying saurcer!...More »