gyrobike
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Forget training wheels: This bike balances itself
Training wheels are great for getting kids rolling, but they don't really develop the balance required for real riding. Jyrobike takes a different approach to the learning process, providing a more authentic cycling experience while still offering the stability new starters need. That's because it's self-balancing, and though that sounds too good to be true, the technology that makes it possible is actually quite simple. Contained within the front wheel is a weighted, motor-driven disk that gets up to several thousand revolutions per minute (RPMs). This spinning disk, which emits a dull hum when at full speed, exerts a gyroscopic force that pushes against the turn and lean of the front wheel. As the rider tilts towards the point of no return, the front wheel corrects and as a result, nudges the child into a balanced body position. Watching someone ride a Jyrobike doesn't give you a good idea of how stable the thing really is, but we were incredibly impressed by a live demo. With just a small amount of forward momentum, the prototype easily shrugged off sideways slaps with only a slight waver.
Gyrobike's Gyrowheel stabilizes a kid's first bike without the training wheels
Being the fine physical specimens that we are, even from an early age, we of course had little trouble learning how to ride a bike without external help, but we're sure **some hapless child out there will welcome the Gyrowheel as salvation from the embarrassment of training wheels. The 12-inch wheel (a 16-inch version is in the works) replaces a standard front tire and has an adjustable-speed spinning disc inside, powered by a rechargeable battery. The idea is that you get the kid started on a high stability setting, and step them down until they're not using the gyro at all. It goes on sale this December and should retail for around $100. Video of it in action is after the break. [Via Bike Commuters]
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]
