The Lit C-1 is a small, single-seat electric urban vehicle, combining the size of a motorcycle with the apparent safety of something bigger. The C-1 uses electronically-controlled gyroscopes to remain upright even in the case of an accident. However, you’d best be careful if you’re driving this, because the makers have dubbed it the “Rolling Smartphone” because of its extensive connectivity to mobile devices.

It can be charged up in six hours, has a top speed of 120mph, and the battery provides enough autonomy for 150 to 220 miles. It will be available in 2014 and will sell for $12,000 to $16,000 (USD).

[via designboom]

The latest version of this one-wheeled wonder uses a 1000-watt motor to propel a rider at speeds up to 10mph down streets and sidewalks. Much like a Segway, it uses a combination of gyroscopes and accelerometers to keep itself upright. It’s got a range of about 12 miles, and takes about 2 hours to fully recharge. It’s also been refined to provide a smoother ride than the original, along with improved turning and faster balance response – which I suppose is a good thing on a vehicle with just a single wheel.

The SBU 2.0 also packs regenerative braking, which stores the energy you normally waste when going downhill or slowing down, giving you a longer ride on a charger. The video below is from back in 2010, but shows off the SBU 2.0 in action.

Apparently, the SBU decreases the learning curve for riding a unicycle from days or weeks down to just about 20 minutes – though I can only imagine it’s not easy to stop or start. Here’s some more recent footage, which gives you a better sense of how one learns how to ride a self-balancing unicycle.

You can order the SBU 2.0 over at Focus Designs website for $1499(USD). There’s an 8-to-12 week lead time if you want one, so keep that in mind if you have dreams of cruising on one of these this Spring or Summer.

[via Gizmag]

The robot uses a “simple switch as a sensor and stands on only two wheels with inverted pendulum mechanism. When the robot is going to fall the motor starts and moves the robot to the direction it is going to fall, so the motor torque about the center of gravity that is higher than the motor makes the robot balanced.” Check out this video to see it in action.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The maker helpfully put up a tutorial in case you’re inspired to make one of your own! Although I’m not sure why you’d do that, other than to mess with your cat or something.

[via Make:]

A.M.P. stands for “Automated Musical Personality”. That’s because the wheeled robot can follow you around and play your tunes wherever you go. When set to tracking mode, the robot will even keep tabs on your location and keep the speakers facing you at all times. The self-balancing 29-inch tall robot rolls along courtesy of a piezoelectronic gyroscope which keeps it from tipping over on its narrow 2-wheel base. There’s also an obstacle avoidance system to keep A.M.P. from bumping into walls or tumbling down the stairs.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

As the ‘bot moves around the room, it’ll “dance” (more like wobble) to the tunes on your connected MP3 player, keeping with the beat – with a bunch of synchronized LEDs blinking all the while. A built in 12-watt amp and a set of three speakers pump out the music. You’ll be able to control the audio mix and a variety of sound effects by interacting with A.M.P.bot’s touch-sensitive mixing pad “hands”.

The A.M.P.Bot will be coming to the States courtesy of Hasbro’s Tiger Electronics this October (it’s available from SegaToys in Japan). Expect it to retail for about $500.

[A.M.P.Bot via SlashGear and Toyology]

The Uno is a self-balancing motorcycle that uses a pair of gyroscopes to constantly keep its rider upright.

Designed by 18-year old inventor Ben J. Poss Gulak (and built with the help of a team of bike builders and engineers), the 120-pound motorcycle is so easy to ride, its only control is a single on-off switch. To ride forward, lean forward, to reverse, simply lean back. The degree to which you lean increases or decreases your velocity. By using a pair of wheels, the bike can also make turns based on your side-to-side movements.

The one-of-a-kind motorcycle was recently demonstrated at the 2008 National Motorcycle Show in Toronto, Canada. Its current whereabouts are unknown, but I’m pretty sure you’ll recognize it if you see it coming down the road.

[Motorcycle Mojo via Nowhere Else]