How does a onewheel work? – Science behind Onewheel
The use of onewheel has been on the rise recently. This innovative vehicle operates on a single wheel, and the user-friendly experience it provides to the user is remarkable.
Operating on a single wheel, this mode of transport never fails to amaze me. The efficiency, along with the ease of mobility a onewheel provides you with, is excellent.
If you’re someone who wonders “how does a onewheel work?”, you’re not the only one. This wonder of science intrigues many who question its ability to work with such efficiency. Let’s shed some light on how a onewheel works in this article. Let’s begin.
What is a onewheel?
You might be someone who’s hearing the term “onewheel” for the first time. If that’s the case, let me explain what it is. As the name suggests, it is a device that operates on a single wheel only.
Yes, you heard it right, a single-wheeled transport device. Onewheel came into existence thanks to the efforts of Kyle Doerksen, a board enthusiast, and an electromechanical engineer.
Over the past few years, he’d been putting his energy into building a skateboard that’d enable users to have fun and enjoy their ride while they’re moving from one place to another.
The constant efforts resulted in a wonderful, simply designed board that is small in size but powerful enough to bear the user’s weight and provide a speed of up to 12 miles per hour.
A deck rests on the single wheel, and you place your feet on both sides of the deck, one at the front and the other at the back. You control the onewheel through the motion sensors.
How does a onewheel function?
Now that you know what one wheel is let’s get right to how this magnificent technological innovation works. The wheel that constitutes the entire propulsion system of the gadget lies in an electric motor.
This motor performs two essential features by spinning. It helps propel you forwards or backward and ensures that you stay balanced by making minor adjustments while you’re riding.
As mentioned before, one foot goes in front of the wheel and the other behind it. Under your back foot lies the battery that gives the onewheel the power it needs.
Under your front foot, a microprocessor lies, on which relies the efficient functioning of the device. Moreover, there are two pressure-sensitive pads under your foot that detect when you’re standing on the board.
The board’s orientation in space (its yaw pitch and roll) is continuously measured by three internal gyroscopes and accelerometers. To picture what these three are, picture an airplane in motion.
It can roll from one side to another, its nose pitches up and down, and it can turn itself in different directions. Hopefully, this will give you an idea of what different emotions are under discussion here.
You must be thinking that the gyroscopes are the ones that spin and help the machine stay oriented. Well, you’re not wrong, but these gyroscopes play different roles.
These gyroscopes are chip-level sensors that measure the rate of rotation. Here’s a surprising fact: the sensors on a onewheel pint monitor the board’s movement 14,000 times per second and feed that information to the motor to help it determine what to do to keep you balanced or moving.
Commuting and personal transportation weren’t in the mind of the developer, Doerksen, but since several people use the board for these purposes, an app has been introduced that provides users with additional features.
The app allows you to customize your ride according to your wishes. It allows you to check your ride’s battery life as well.
The ride is entirely hands-free, and there’s no need to depend on handlebars. For steering, the rider can learn to shift their ride right or left. No controller is required, and the motor automatically disengages when it feels the rider lifting the front heel of the board.
Every small part that goes into the functioning has been hidden so that it makes the ride convenient and easy to use.
Pros of using a onewheel
I must’ve bored you by getting into the depth of how the gadget operates. Now when you’re aware of how a onewheel operates, let’s talk about the advantages of owning one.
1. Easier to move around on one wheel than its competitors
The one-wheel design offers convenient turning to the users, which can’t be achieved using electric skateboards or scooters. This mode of design doesn’t let you trip over while making sharp turns.
2. Board’s firmware can be updated thanks to the app
The app allows you to update the board’s firmware and that too, wirelessly by use of Bluetooth. This is a massive advantage as it allows the maximum customization of your ride. The update has increased the board’s speed from 12 to 14 miles per hour.
3. Battery life and charging speed are excellent
The battery life on this gadget is mind-blowing. Its XR models allow you to ride 16-18 miles, whereas the pint model allows a range of around 6-8 miles.
Charging time is very short. It takes twenty minutes to charge your onewheel after its energy has been depleted. This means you can carry its charger along and recharge that battery whenever it runs out to allow you to ride extra miles.
What can you use a onewheel for?
A onewheel can be used for transportation and commute by the rider. The rechargeable battery, along with the extended range, allows it to cover longer distances when compared with its competitors.
Although it cannot replace automobiles, it is still a fun, enjoyable user, and eco-friendly mode of conveyance. But like other transportation devices, it also needs to be maintained and cleaned regularly.
Doerksen also designed the gadget for another purpose, working well for athletics. The tire has been designed so that it can endure all-terrain action, not restricting it to sidewalks and streets only.
Many athletes, such as Luke Hopkins, have used it for practicing balance and exercising core muscles. Luke, talking about onewheel, said, “You feel like you’re surfing the trails.”
More than anything, you can use onewheel for fun. Once a person gets the hang of it, this mode of riding becomes enjoyable and fun. Its user-friendly experience and long battery life make it an excellent pick for covering short distances.
It offers great mobility and can hence be used to travel to office and school etc. it stands out amongst other modes of conveyances thanks to the hands-free operation it provides the riders with.
Final Thoughts
I hope the discussion not only helps make you understand how a onewheel works but also gives you an insight into the pros of using this device.
If you’re looking to invest in a ride that not only offers you great mobility but is also fun to ride, onewheel is the one for you. With its portable and user-friendly structure, it is definitely one of the best modes of conveyance out there.
