2015 was supposed to bring us Hoverboards according to the “Back To The Future” series. Companies like Hendo Hoverboards are just starting to tap into the potential of hover technology and as such, the OneWheel by Future Motion Inc. is as close as we're going to get to one for the foreseeable future.
The first version of OneWheel that was shown off at CES 2014 was considered confusing and clunky by most who tested it. Future Motion Inc. had its Kickstarter launch for OneWheel in January of 2014 and went on to raise $630,000 dollars instead of its initial $100,000 goal. They put that money to good use and went back to the drawing board completely re-designing the internals of the OneWheel.
At first look, the OneWheel looks like a skateboard and a unicycle had a baby. With its giant centered Go-Kart wheel and flat feet platforms on either side its somewhat of an interesting looking contraption. What sets the OneWheel apart from anything else is the technology inside the board. To use OneWheel, all you have to do is power it on, step on it, lean forward, and go. Its that simple.
The board features a self balancing mechanism to pull this off which is all run by the internal tech itself. Headlights and taillights that switch on or off depending on the direction you lean are also included in the final product and are surprisingly bright and easily see-able at all times. The major downside to the OneWheel is its range. Future Motion Inc. says you can travel about 6 miles on a single charge but also stated that the charger included in the OneWheel will re-charge the board from 0 to 100 percent in about 20 minutes.
$1500 dollars is a high price tag for early adopters but the possibilities it opens up excite us to no end