As a child, learning to ride a bike vexed me to no end. While my friends zipped around the neighbourhood on two wheels, I plodded along on four, thanks to an embarrassing set of “training wheels”. Good news: They’re doomed.
And it’s all thanks to this ingenious gyro-equipped bike wheel. Like the Seqway before it, the Gyrowheel uses, well, a gyro, to maintain balance long enough so that a child can comfortably get the feel for bike riding — without those tiny little wheels messing with their self-esteem.
As you can see in the video, even with a few slaps on the side the wheel remains upright. I too was skeptical at first, but when the video depicted a bike “ghost riding” across the exhibit floor, I was sold and my childhood was immediately envious.
The 12-inch Gyrowheel will drop on December 1, while a 16-inch version should arrive by mid 2010. [Gyrowheel via OhGizmo]
Dean
Monday, October 5, 2009 at 2:26 PMUm, wouldn’t the same gyroscopic forces that are preventing the bike from falling over also prevent it from changing direction to, say, avoid a tree?
Sam Ross
Monday, October 5, 2009 at 4:12 PMI wonder if this could be used for a cheap homemade segway?
Sophie
Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 5:54 PMDoes anyone know where I can purchase the Gyrowheel in Australia?