Hoverboards didn't exactly revolutionize personal transportation, so the creators of the original hoverboard are trying something else.
It's called the Solowheel Iota, and it's essentially an inside-out hoverboard. The Iota's self-balancing wheels are at the center, with two platforms attached to the sides where your feet go. Compare that to a hoverboard, which is made up of a rather long board in the center with two wheels on either side.
Solowheel plans to sell the Iota for $600, but early backers on Kickstarter will receive it for $395. They're expected to ship starting in September, complete with an eight-mile range, a top speed of 10 miles per hour, and a weight limit of 250 pounds.
The main question on prospective buyers' minds, however, will likely be whether or not the 100 kWh lithium-ion battery is safe. After all, the problem with hoverboards is not that they don't do what they were designed to do (give people a novel, if awkward way to move about city sidewalks), but rather that they have a tendency to catch fire. Solowheel says that won't be a problem with the Iota.
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"As people already know from riding the Solowheel and Hovertrax, our self-balancing technology is the best in the industry, we only use high-quality battery packs and motors, and we use a full suite of electronic safety features," according to the Iota's Kickstarter page. "You can expect the same level of quality from the Iota."
The company already offers a much pricier Solowheel Xtreme with an 1800W battery, which runs $3,000.
Solowheel notes that many of the hoverboards sold in the US were knockoffs of its Hovertrax design, which was not included in the government-mandated hoverboard recall. Still, Solowheel acknowledges that the Iota's design isn't finished yet, and it may run into unexpected problems.