Ok, so still no hoverboards but who's up for the $1300 one wheeled skateboard that can balance itself - and makes you FEEL like you're flying?

Rider can accelerate up to 12mph by simply leaning forward

Go-kart tyres allow tight turns

Sensors usually found in a smartphone allow it to balance itself



It's not quite the hoverboard we all hoped to be riding by 2013, but a Silicon Valley firms has created the next best thing - a self balancing, one wheeled skateboard.

Called the Onewheel, the $1300 gadget has a single air filled tyre taken from a go-kart.

It can reach speeds on 12mph, and turn 360 degrees within the length of the board - all while balancing itself usign the same motion sensing technology found in a smartphone .

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The one wheeled skateboard can reach speeds of 12mph, and riders accelerate simply by leaning

HOW TO RIDE IT

Riders can accelerate up to 12MPH only by leaning toward their front foot.

Leaning back slows down, or even reverses, and regenerative braking recharges the battery during deceleration.

Light heel or toe pressure carves turns and can even turn 360 degrees within the length of the board.

The firm behind it, Future Motion says it 'lets you fly over pavement on only a single wheel'.

The firm today launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project.

Riders can accelerate up to 12MPH only by leaning toward their front foot.



Leaning back slows down, or even reverses, and regenerative braking recharges the battery during deceleration.

The OneWheel is controlled by simply leaning in the direction you want to go

The gadget uses sensors normally found in a mobile phone to balance itself

The OneWheel has already been tested in California, and people can now buy one on Kickstarter

However, the firm says the real trick to riding is to master the 'carve' turn rather like a snowboard.

'The real fun of riding Onewheel is carving on pavement.



'It’s like snowboarding on powder or surfing a

wave, but no mountain or ocean is required. Just a flat paved surface.



The hub motor has state-of-the-art axial flux brushless motor technology, which gives it th e power it needs without a transmission—no gears or belts, just one moving part, the wheel itself.

Powerful lithium iron phosphate batteries provide high peak power for acceleration and self-balancing, and recharge in under 30 minutes using the fast charger option.



Test riders describe it as feeling 'like a natural extension of your balance', and the team hope to sell it for $1199.

The firm also claim it is simple to learn.

'Most people can learn to ride Onewheel in a couple minutes even if they're not used to boardsports,' it says.

'That's because controlling a Onewheel is so intuitive.



'Powerful sensors and sophisticated algorithms are constantly helping you balance and control your ride with just the forward or backward lean of your body.



'People with experience with other boardsports are often ready to ride aggressively within their first few minutes on Onewheel.'

The Onewheel is sadly still some way from the Hoverboard seen in Back to the Future - but its makers claim the effect of riding one is similar to flying

The board is filled with cheap, off the shelf sensors more usually found in a mobile phone, which allow it to balance simply.



