Most people associate the hoverboard with the 1980s film Back to the Future but for Robert Bigler, his latest one wheel hoverboard is a passion project inspired by his love for the unicycle. Bigler, a graduate of San Jose State University, started his journey to creating a hoverboard with a wheel in the center three years ago with the goal to make something interactive using gyroscopic technology.
The product, which is currently in its prototype phase, will be in production in July and cost buyers anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000. Bigler revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that he is currently working on a lower cost version that will retail anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000.
What separates his product apart from others in the market is the wheel in the center, which makes it safer than the traditional hoverboard and lets users "surf on land." When you use most hoverboards on the market, says Bigler, you fall on your back but with his product, you fall on your feet.
The user regulates the speed (it can go up to 20 miles per hour) of the hoverboard by leaning — the device senses subtle body movements. Learning how to use the 20-pound product requires practice. Bigler recommends spending two hours a day for a week to learn how to properly maneuver.
The hoverboard will come with an accompanying smartphone application, which is currently under development, for safety and customization purposed. “The app is super cool,” said Bigler to iDigitalTimes. “It’s your window into the hoverboard. You can have different profiles on it — for yourself or for your son or daughter — and you can tune the parameters. You can tune this for the advanced rider or soften the tuning so it is easier to learn.”
The app will allow the user to program the speakers, which have two purposes: to play music and also to send the user safety alerts. The hoverboard also conveniently comes with phone-charging abilities.
What’s next for Bigler? In addition to creating a lower-priced model, he’s working on training wheels for the product.
