The Uno is a novel self-balancing electric

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

using two wheels side by side (the configuration used by

dicycle A dicycle () (also known as a diwheel) is a vehicle with two parallel wheels, side by side, unlike single-track vehicles such as motorcycles and bicycles, which have two wheels inline. Originally used to refer to devices with large wheels and ped ...

s). The Uno III adds a third wheel that allows it to transform into a

tricycle A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a Human-powered transport, human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) Three-wheeler, three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for pa ...

Operation

The original Uno is controlled in forward motion by the rider shifting weight over the centre of gravity. When the rider shifts forward, the vehicle speeds up to regain balance, when the rider leans back, the vehicle slows. Steering is controlled by side-to-side motion of the rider. The vehicle senses this shift and raises one of the two wheels to allow the vehicle to tilt in the desired turn direction. The Uno III has two configurations, as a dicycle and as a tricycle. As a dicycle it operates much the same as the original Uno with forward and back motion of the rider affecting acceleration. The Uno III also utilizes a hand throttle to affect acceleration and braking. Instead of using rider side-to-side movement to control steering, the Uno III uses a rotating handlebar.

History

The Uno was conceived by

Milton, Ontario Milton (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population 132,979) is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Between 2001 and 2011, Milton was the fastest growing m ...

teenager Ben Gulak in 2006, following a trip to China. After seeing major

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pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

caused by heavy use of small motor vehicles, he decided he wanted to create an

eco-friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that c ...

alternative. His initial design efforts consisted of an angle-iron frame with wheelchair motors, batteries and gyroscopes. He described his very first test-ride as "absolutely terrifying" and resulted in a crash and a chipped kneecap. Other early problems, including a series of electrical fires, arose, and he was then joined by

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robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

expert

Trevor Blackwell Trevor Blackwell (born 4 November 1969, in Canada) is a Canadian-American computer programmer, engineer, entrepreneur and roboticist based in England. Blackwell is a developer of humanoid robots. Blackwell is the founder and former CEO of Anyb ...

, who had previously designed a eunicycle, a single-wheeled gyro-stabilized vehicle, as well as a two-wheeler that resembled a

Segway PT A Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter device invented by Dean Kamen. The name is a registered trademark of Segway Inc. It was brought to market in 2001 as the Segway HT, and then subsequently as the Segway PT. ''HT ...

, to iron out the initial problems. Blackwell and Gulak refined the Uno's gyro control system so the machine would properly balance and move smoothly. Gulak then used the revised plans to develop a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

vehicle with the help of engineer Werner Poss, Veltronics Ltd. of

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, John Cosentini of Motorcycle Enhancements, a custom motorcycle builder in

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town and List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipality in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. Generally seen as a commuter suburb of Toronto, it is located on Lake ...

, and research partner Jason Morrow. The Uno was unveiled at the Toronto Spring Motorcycle Show in 2008, and won a Top-10 prize on

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's list of 2008 Invention Awards. On the

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series ''

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'', Gulak was given $1,250,000 in venture capital for a 20% share in further development. The deal fell apart in

due diligence Due diligence is the investigation or exercise of care that a reasonable business or person is normally expected to take before entering into an agreement or contract with another party or an act with a certain standard of care. Due diligence ...

and only W. Brett Wilson paid his $250,000 portion. According to Ben Gulak, in order to improve the safety and usability of the Uno his company BPG Inc developed the Uno III to be able to transform from the classic Uno dicycle into a motorcycle. Though not a motorcycle in the classic definition, the 'motorcycle mode' is actually a tricycle with the two rear wheels coming so close together that they resemble a single wide wheel. The Uno III transforms between these two modes while being ridden.

Operation

History

See also

References

Further reading