GyroBike flywheel helps bicycles self-steady

Besides learning to use the toilet properly, the ability to ride a bicycle is one of the most important early-childhood accomplishments, but unfortunately, the current use of training wheels for practice does little to prepare kids for life on two wheels. Well a start-up using technology developed at Dartmouth College is aiming to eliminate the rolling crutches that are training wheels, and replace them with a gyroscopic flywheel that attaches to the front wheel and helps a bike steady itself whenever the rider loses his/her balance. Expected to retail for around $40 when it hits the market, the GyroBike by the company of the same name works by spinning in conjunction with the wheel it's attached to, using natural physical properties to turn the handlebars towards the direction of an impending fall. GyroBike also claims to be in talks with the top six manufacturers of kids' bikes, so you may soon be able to buy a model with this technology built-in instead of retrofitting one you already own.

[Via Cnet]

[Ron Smith @ Apr 28th 2006 6:12PM]

Bah, falling down is part of learning! Kids should have to deal with the same amount of violence as I did from their bike.

[Bike geek @ Apr 28th 2006 6:31PM]

Dumb... there is an easy way to teach kids how to ride a bike. Training wheels are bad. You take the pedals off and teach the kid how to kick-roll the bike around. Once they figure out the balance you put the pedals on and they go.

Cute kids though.

[comrade @ Apr 28th 2006 6:34PM]

This is a great idea. The only problem though is, are the kids going to be able to turn at all?! Or are we going to have all kinds of kennedeyesque accidents with kids hittings trees straight on?

[Pal @ Apr 28th 2006 6:39PM]

Ah, success without consequence. What a brave new world!

This could breed new found confidence in bicycle delivery boys all across the world. Balancing more food on their handle bars than ever before with unprecedented stability.

In all seriousness, this could be useful for the older generations as well. Nothing like a bike trip with gramps gone bad. He needs stability too!

[Chris Mear @ Apr 28th 2006 6:54PM]

You know, this is how bikes work normally. The extra 'gyro wheel' just amplifies the effect.

If your front wheel is spinning forwards, and you lean to the right, the wheel will try and turn to the right in order to conserve angular momentum. When you lean to the right, you turn right.

This is what makes it possible to ride without holding the handlebars, and also explains why it's easier to balance on a moving bike than on a stationary one.

[John Gilman @ Apr 28th 2006 7:07PM]

Um... is that extension cord running to the *bike?*

[morcheeba @ Apr 28th 2006 7:22PM]

I still love the look of the SHIFT bike:
http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/16/the-shift-morphing-tricycle-bicycle/

[Joseph @ Apr 28th 2006 7:23PM]

This is a very good idea. Very simple, yet very effective! It seems so obvious looking at the invention after the fact, but nobody have thought to do this!

[RWD fan @ Apr 28th 2006 7:54PM]

I'm still impressed with the use of counter rotating brake rotors to ease the turn-in effort on motorcycles. How about a Cycleblog, or Motoblog guys?
http://www.reverserotatingrotors.com/

Found via www.2wf.com

[me @ Apr 28th 2006 8:09PM]

that's dumb....falling is part of learning. What about when they ride something that doesn't have a gyro thingy? They'll stil fall!

[RWD fan @ Apr 28th 2006 8:25PM]

One more thing, If I buy 2 of these can I make a cheap Segway?

[Moogle @ Apr 28th 2006 9:05PM]

#11, nah, but with a segway's guts and one, you could make a 1 wheeled segway. Some company was designing a 1-wheeled motorcycle (two 'trainer wheels' popped out at low speeds, which wouldn't be necessary with this until you powered it off), but it doesn't really have an advantage over a 2 wheeled bike. You don't actually need the flywheel either, if you can ride a unicycle.
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000817073658/

[arfqttq @ Apr 28th 2006 9:47PM]

"Besides learning to use the toilet properly, the ability to ride a bicycle is one of the most important early-childhood accomplishments, but unfortunately, the current use of training wheels for practice does little to prepare kids for life on two wheels."

quite a sentence..

[bunk @ Apr 28th 2006 9:53PM]

My son's learning on this - from those crazy Europeans:
http://www.likeabikeusa.com/

[emayoh @ Apr 28th 2006 10:05PM]

I'd like a lightweight version of this technology that spins when i come to a stop, allowing me to keep my feet on the pedals while at a stoplight/busy intersection. I don't have the skillz to stay up myself and envy those XXXtreme riders who can.

[Rob @ Apr 28th 2006 10:31PM]

It's like those spinner hubcaps! Put some LED's on it.

I agree with the whole negative reinforcement of falling down, but as someone else posted, this might be good for older folks or people with a handicap that might not be able ride otherwise. If it had enough weight you could have a clutch that would help you start up. OK, that might be TOO much weight....

[Oddmanout @ Apr 28th 2006 10:32PM]

What's wrong with training wheels ? Mind you, I'm not trying to DEFEND them perse, but I had them on my bike when I was learning to ride and they worked ok. I don't know if all are the same, but on my bike if you stood it uright and then let go of it, it would probably fall over. The trainging wheels were mounted such that they didn't touch the ground unless the bike was leaning. I geuss the idea was to ease turns, but still allow the rider to balance the bike without using the training wheels. It worked ok I guess...

That said, I think I eventually learned to ride really by hijacking my older sisters bike (w/ out training wheels) and falling down a bunch. So I guess I agree, give gramps the gyro (and an electric assist motor), let the kiddies get a bruise or two...that was part of how I learned to patch myself and later others up too without help from mom. Came in handy throughout childhood for dealing with the aftermath of various clandestine hijinks gone awry... :)

I like the idea about the peddles though...and taking kids to a grassy area for the first few sessions is good to...

[Kenji F @ Apr 29th 2006 12:20AM]

When are they going out for sale?
I'm one of those unfortunate that never managed to learn how to ride a bike, so this could make me a bit less pathetic than what I actually am.

[Robert @ Apr 29th 2006 4:42AM]

For kid "Like a bike" is the way to go. There are now cheaper alternatives or take the pedals off as in post #2. My daughter could zip around at age 2 holding her feet up. I think she fell twice (and from a lower high than older children).

The link for infomation on a self-balancing unicycle is:
http://www.tlb.org/eunicycle.html
Tevor also has information on building one yourself from his plans.

[SuperJesus @ Apr 29th 2006 8:29AM]

I doubt this product prevents kids from falling because that would require some bending of the laws of gravity. Rather, I think that it helps them maintain balance, specifically in turns.

I own many, many bikes and work part time in a bike shop. This is a great idea and I can't wait to get my hands on one of these things.

[carter @ Apr 29th 2006 2:17PM]

5. You know, this is how bikes work normally. The extra 'gyro wheel' just amplifies the effect.

Exactly. They're just describing a normal bike wheel. Take said normal bike wheel, hold it by the ends of the axles, set it spinning, and try to alter the orientation of the axle. You'll feel plenty of resistance.

[Peter @ Apr 30th 2006 6:55PM]

Actually, the gyroscopic effect of the wheels doesn't have much effect on the motion of the bike. It's kept upright by the rider balancing the center of gravity of rider & bike above the wheels, which is why it's possible to stand the bike in place by rolling forward and backward.

Someone years ago put counter-rotating wheels next to the real wheels (but not touching the ground) and discovered that the bike was no more difficult to ride with the gyroscopic effect cancelled out.

[Wil Davis @ May 1st 2006 8:36AM]

Typical! A solution in search of a problem!

The tried and tested way to each anyone to ride a bike is to remove the cranks and chain, lower the seat - and let the child (or adult) learn to scoot the bike in "hobby-horse" mode. This gets them used to balancing, without the added problem of learning to use the pedals at the same time.

Once balance is learned, then the cranks and chain go back on� simple, and guaranteed!

Training wheels are a feeble excuse to help parents avoid teaching their kids to ride a bike�

- Wil

[Kevin @ May 1st 2006 11:59AM]

Nothing like riding on the sidewalk, and your bike starts to fall towards the street, and this gyro-thingy correcting, by steering you right into an oncoming car... No thank you... I would prefer my kids fall and scrape themselves up a bit, rather than me having to scrape them up.