FascinatingTravel -AirWheel Special - Fascinating Tech Magazine Archivee

Fancy adding a little fun to the daily commute.  A unicycle too challenging and a Segway too big to carry?

Here is the perfect compromise. The AirWheel is a single wheel but based on a self balancing technology.

The wheel has a couple of fold down pedals that you stand on and it’s pretty simple.

• Lean forward and you go forward
  

• Lean back and you slow down and stop
  

• Twist your shoulder according to the direction you want to twist in.
  

Nipping into to town just hop on and if you are running out of charge just plug in at the local coffee shop.

Hop on the train and just pop it up in the overhead racks.

Going overseas just use it as your hand luggage and pop it up in the locker. Don’t forget you can use it to glide through the airport to the gate!!

The wheel has a maximum speed of 12mph, but limited to 10mphby the software,  and comes in varieties that vary in range from 6 miles to up to 28 miles. The charge time is from 1-2 hours depending on the size of the wheel you choose.

It is estimated that it takes two days to get the hang of the wheel. I had just a few goes initially with the training wheels on. Think of stabilisers for a child’s bike. However they make it difficult to turn so I asked to have these taken off.

I was able to go forward and slow down, stop  and start to learn to turn  in less than  an hour probably only 20 minutes of which was me actually using the wheel.

There was just one problem. I had to give back the wheel I was trying. Boo Hoo! On the other hand they do say leave the audience wanting more. As I watched the expert whip through a chicane I was deeply envious I had not mastered this level of expertise as it just looked so cool. You can see just how cool in the video below.

This is a great device and though a few hundred pound may seem a lot think how much cheaper it is than anything else comparative on the market.