SkyMall Tuesday: Solowheel

by  Mike Barish | Nov 27, 2012
Shopping
Shopping / Watcharin panyawutso/iStock

Poor Segway. It was billed as the future of transportation. Sadly, it never caught on (and isn't street legal in many major cities). The owner of the company died when he fell off of a cliff...while riding a Segway (there's no such thing as bad publicity, right?). That failure has left us all to walk places. Oh, the tedium! Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Over and over and over again! I'm exhausted just thinking about my next trip to the Calzone Emporium. There must be a better way for me to get around when I leave SkyMall Tuesday headquarters. Thankfully, SkyMall realized that Segways weren't the future. All of those wheels are just overkill. And those handlebars? What, you can't balance yourself? If you want to get yourself from Point A to Point B, all you need is one wheel. Now, before you think that I'm advocating for the use of unicycles, rest assured that I firmly believe that those devices are nothing but pure nonsense. Just disastrous contraptions better left to circus freaks. What I meant to say is that all you need is one wheel and a small motor. You need the Solowheel.

How many times have you looked at a Roomba and thought, "I want to turn that sideways and ride it"? If there's a better way to commute to work, go sightseeing in a new city, or speed through an airport, I don't know what it is. This, my friends, is the future.

Think that walking is just fine? Believe that balancing yourself on a single wheel with nothing to hold is a recipe for repeated falls, broken wrists, and angry pedestrians? Well, while you count your steps with a pedometer, we'll be reading the product description:

Designed by Inventist, the Solowheel is the smallest, greenest, most convenient e-vehicle ever invented. A finalist at Bike Expo, Brand New Awards in July 2011, this gyro-stabilized electric unicycle is compact and fun to ride. Use it as you would an electric bicycle...A fully charged battery allows a range of approximately 15-20 miles and can reach speeds of up to 10 mph. The great thing about the battery is it recaptures energy, even in use, when going downhill or slowing down just like a hybrid car would.

Who amongst us hasn't longed to feel the wind through their hair as they cruise along on a single wheel doing 10 mph on a city street? What could possibly go wrong?

I understand that it's difficult to judge the Solowheel based on words alone. You need to see it in action. We end, as we so often do, with a demo video. Let it wash over you. The simplicity. The logic. The way it all looks so natural. The future is now. Walking is so 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOOoFEKiK8A

Oh, and it's $1,800. Enjoy!

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