UNO now transforms to two wheeler, may transform world
At first glance, it seems an unlikely piece of engineering. A one-wheeled electric motorcycle with Segway-like smarts for staying upright which, for safety's sake, topped out at 15 mph. For Ben Gulak, the Uno was just a starting point and several years after beginning his original prototype at the age of 16, Gulak, now an MIT student, has evolved his concept into a machine that transforms into a two-wheeler on the fly. At low speeds, it functions much like the original, but after it reaches about 20 mph, the wheels shift from rolling beside each other to the more typical "front to back" formation. This, as you might imagine, gives it increased stability and helps it deal with things like potholes.
While all that might sound impressive, it may be just a hint of what the future holds for both invention and inventor. You see, Ben isn't just a whiz around the workbench. He also seems to have a brain for business and has assembled a team under the banner of BPG Motors to help forward his vision of economical, environmentally-friendly transportation. Last month found the young Canadian in Silcon Valley to rendezvous with potential investors and, while we don't know the outcome of those meetings, if he displayed the same surety and skills he used to charm a roomful of business folks out of $1.25 million in capital during his appearance on Dragon's Den, we're sure he made out just fine. This guy is so impressive, we'd not be shocked if he eventually produces the world-altering device the Segway was supposed to be. Hit the jump to check out the aforementioned TV appearance.
[Source: BPG Motors / The Kneeslider via Electric Motorcycle Forum]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
NeilBlanchard 7:32PM (11/11/2009)
Funky...
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dwarg 10:36PM (11/11/2009)
What's interesting is that they don't seem to be talking about what the actual value of the product is. I have to imagine he has some patents, at least pending, around some technology here (especially the axle shifting to inline wheels which wasn't even shown on the TV show).
The "dragons" were definitely reacting to something more than what we were seeing in the video.
Anyway, good for him! It's great to see intelligence and hard work rewarded.
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Sean C 2:45AM (11/12/2009)
Original concept: Way cool.
Two wheeled current prototype: Ugly as shit!
And I'm actually cheering for this guy.
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jpm 4:35AM (11/12/2009)
You've got to admire and applaud this teenagers ambition and skill. I wonder what kind of resources he had available (engineer dad w/full machine shop?) ?
I don't know who would buy one of those and take it above 40 mph. It doesn't look robust and safe at high speeds. The average person is reluctant to give motorcycling a shot, so why would they ever do this? Am I missing something here?
Anybody remember this: http://www.gearbits.com/archives/000336.html
Looks awfully similar.
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Mark Kiernan 7:47AM (11/12/2009)
Fair play to this guy, he is a credit to his peers. My own concern is with safety. If you have a minor malfunction you have a serious accident. Of course this is also the same on a standard motorbike but it seems more probably on such a new technology. I think he is right to invest in R&D, instead of going it alone to build it.
Again it is great to see young people taking such a lead in green technology.
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Richard 4:29PM (11/12/2009)
Impressive!
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mdpathak 5:29AM (11/16/2009)
OOB thiking :-) simply great !
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