Onewheel: Electric Skateboard

The designers behind Onewheel have come up with an ingenious new skateboard that, along with self-balancing technology, can make you feel like you’re flying.

If you decide to make a pledge through Kickstarter, you are promised to receive the most advanced motion sensing, hub motor and battery technology available, all of which is hidden from sight. Even when there is no snow or surf to be had, Onewheel can still give you the same experience as snowboarding or surfing.

Weighing in at 11kgs, Onewheel has a top speed of 20km/h and has a range of six to nine kilometers depending on what terrain you are riding on. The battery can be recharged in two hours but if you’re in a hurry then the ultra-charger will top it up in twenty minutes.

The frame is made from solid billet 6061 aluminium, making it strong yet light. The motor is built in to the wheel hub, whilst the deck has the same look as a high-end skateboard thanks to the high-quality Canadian maple.

What makes Onewheel special are the gyro and accelerometer sensors that feed a powerful processor to determine the exact speed to drive the motor, depending on how you lean your body. The further forward you lean, the faster it goes. To slow down you just lean back.

It can take a bit of time to get used to the technique behind surfing or snowboarding, yet apparently most people can learn to ride Onewheel in just a couple of minutes, even if they haven’t done a lot of boardsports. That sounds a bit optimistic but the designers have developed powerful sensors and sophisticated algorithms, which constantly help you to balance and control the board.

Onewheel still has a couple of days left for its Kickstarter campaign but that’s not a problem because so far it has raised over $380,000 of its original $100,000 target.

Pro kitesurfer Gretta Kruesi tests out Onewheel

If it reaches $400,000 then the plan is to develop an app for the electric skateboard that will work with both Android and Apple devices, which will connect to Onewheel via Bluetooth. The app will allow the rider to select various ride modes, limit the speed, lock Onewheel and track rides through GPS.