[edited from Monocycle to Unicyle - sorry for undeliferate mistale]

Youtube for RYNO or "Honda's self-balancing U3-X" or "self balancing monocycle".

This unicycle has pedals so when parked, you "wind up the flywheel" and then when going you use the same pedals with gears to drive your monocycle forward.

Parking is achieved with a double kickstand used for comfortable first few pedal turns until the flywheel is up and running.
-- pashute, Oct 23 2012

Honda UX-3 http://www.diseno-a...les/honda_ux-3.html
Note the 1 large consisting of small right angle wheels [CraigD, Oct 23 2012]

the RYNO exciting vid http://www.youtube....watch?v=Z1YoCfm7nxU
Its clear that without a link you won't look. :-( [pashute, Oct 24 2012]

thegyrobike.com http://www.thegyrobike.com/
Vertical gyro in wheel gives bike stability [pashute, Oct 28 2012]

Just found out about 3dtin.com http://www.3dtin.com/w77w#
great online 3d drawing tool [pashute, Nov 11 2012]

Here's my 3d model https://docs.google...q7xEcFVZMXJvQTlMTms
side view [pashute, Nov 11 2012]

stable cycle http://www.youtube....watch?v=Z0m-cUxMcJw
1300 ft pounds of torque. don't need that much in our vehicle... [pashute, Nov 11 2012]

gyroscopic leverage http://www.youtube....watch?v=JRPC7a_AcQo
[pashute, Nov 11 2012]

Flywheel Unicycle Flywheel_20Unicycle
[marklar, Nov 12 2012]

How do you balance when cycling in place? Do you lean against a wall or something?
-- Alterother, Oct 23 2012


That's the point of the gyroscope, presumably?
-- ytk, Oct 23 2012


But that would require the flywheel to already be spinning when the stationary pedaling commenced, wouldn't it?
-- Alterother, Oct 23 2012


Heck no.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 23 2012


Okay then. Thank you for such a clear and illustrative responce.
-- Alterother, Oct 23 2012


No more so than a bicycle would have to already be moving before you pedal it to stay upright.
-- ytk, Oct 23 2012


I edited the idea with a clearer explanation of the startup sequence. A double kickstand is used when parking and getting flywheel wound up for the first time. Also for parking when off the bike.

Thanks Alter-Other for bringing this up.

If you look at RYNO youtubes you'll "get the kick of it".

// Jewish mother: Kick both ways before you oyver the road. (Kick - Yiddish for Look. Oyver - Yiddish for Crossing-over)
-- pashute, Oct 23 2012


The flywheel is going to bollix up the turning ability of the monocycle, unless you put a right-angle drive in there, so the flywheel is horizontal.

// All power for self balancing and forward drive come from pedals //

Erm, my unicycle already has that.
-- baconbrain, Oct 23 2012


//The flywheel is going to bollix up the turning ability of the monocycle, unless you put a right- angle drive in there, so the flywheel is horizontal.//

I think the Honda UX-3's gyros are small, several, possibly gimbled. They're adapted from Honda's small humanoid Asimo robot.

The thing turn pretty easily, but that's not essential to driving it, as, due to its many little wheels turning on a big wheel arrangement, it will go in any direction it's leaned
-- CraigD, Oct 23 2012


Pedaled gyro monocle please.
-- pocmloc, Oct 23 2012


The link makes things a little clearer, but the look on that model's face says "Really? You're kidding, right?"
-- Alterother, Oct 23 2012


//The flywheel is going to bollix up the turning ability of the monocycle, unless you put a right-angle drive in there, so the flywheel is horizontal.// Worse, as no (passive) stability is provided about the axis of a flywheel, unless the axis is vertical, it will immediately fall over. And torque that is not coaxial with the flywheel causes precession, so a vertical axis will make the monocycle roll wildly to the left or right when you attempt to accelerate.

You may have misunderstood how the UX-3 works. The gyroscopes do not (and could not) directly provide balance. They are used to sense orientation, and balance is achieved actively by feedback to the wheel - like a segway, but in two axes instead of one.

Bad science; 'just add flywheel'.
-- spidermother, Oct 26 2012


The balance is definitely achieved by the flywheel. Watch the RYNO video in the link, see the person lean on the bike. Then read the material on the web about it. Also look at the thegyrobike link I'm adding now. Stability for kid's bikes. And its a vertical flywheel not horizontal.
-- pashute, Oct 28 2012


I was referring to the UX-3, which uses active balancing (like a segway) about two axes. Yes, the RYNO and the gyrobike appear to use a flywheel for roll stability, but use active balancing (like a segway) and two wheels, respectively, for pitch stability. I contend that it is not possible to achieve passive roll and pitch stability in a propelled unicycle using a flywheel alone.

I'm not saying that your idea won't work at all, but the rider would at least need to provide active pitch balancing, to avoid falling over forwards or backwards (assuming a horizontal, left-right orientated axis).
-- spidermother, Oct 28 2012


here's my 3d model. Should work.

Will provide a few youtube examples of this.
-- pashute, Nov 11 2012


That won't work. The centre of gravity is well forward of the support point (the back wheel), making it even worse than I described. It will immediately fall over, even before you try to move, in a rather horrible twisting manner.
-- spidermother, Nov 11 2012


I had a similar idea a couple of years ago [link].
-- marklar, Nov 12 2012



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