A Stylish Electric Unicycle by Focus Design

Focus Design Self Balancing Unicycle V3 | Focus Design SBU V3

The Personal Mobility Vehicle with the Fewest Wheels

A Stylish Electric Unicycle

At first glance, this stylish unicycle appears to be a conventional one. However, it is the "SBU V3," an electric unicycle for personal mobility, released by the American company Focus Design.

Text by HORIGUCHI Yoshihiro (OPENERS)

Anyone Can Ride in 30 Minutes

In recent years, personal mobility has become a focus of development for many companies, extending from electric bicycles to devices like the Segway, which can now be seen at overseas airports and warehouses. In Japan, Toyota is currently conducting a social experiment in Tsukuba Science City with a personal mobility support robot called "Winglet."

While most of these are designed to be self-balancing with two or three wheels, the SBU V3 has only one. It is equipped with a 3-axis gyroscope sensor that performs 1,000 calculations per second to maintain balance in the forward and backward directions. The rider must maintain balance from side to side.

Forward, backward, and turning are controlled by the rider's shift in weight. Although there is no physical braking system, stopping is achieved through motor control, which also regenerates energy (charging through resistance).

Focus Design Self Balancing Unicycle V3 | Focus Design SBU V3

The main body is made of 6061 aluminum alloy and weighs 12.2 kg. It is manufactured entirely by hand. The maximum load capacity, meaning the combined weight of the rider and luggage, is up to 145 kg. The top speed is 25 km/h, and the cruising range on a full charge is approximately 12-16 km, depending on weight and road conditions.

Advanced technology is also incorporated into the control software and mechanisms for riding. It features "Turn Assist," which tilts to enhance stability during turns; "Push Back," which slowly reverses when unable to move forward; and "Smart Sense," which carefully stops the unicycle in the event of an awkward posture or accident.

It is said that about 20-30 minutes of practice is sufficient to master the SBU V3. A portion of the instructional video is introduced below.