If there was ever an invention that needs to be improved, it’s the skateboard. Those four wheels are totally superfluous. Improvements have been made, sometimes to interesting results. The Onewheel is the latest in foot-based transportation.

The Onewheel is an electrically-powered personal transportation device created by California-based company Future Motion. It features (you guessed it) a single wheel set inside a plank. The company’s Kickstarter page calls it “the self-balancing electric skateboard that gives you the feeling of flying.” While that statement may be a bit grandiose, this simple machine has some complex innards.

It’s 48V lithium nano-phosphate (LiFe PO4) battery gives it enough power for about a 20-minute quick ride, or up to two hours if charged longer. The custom self-balancing controller drives the 12″ wheel, along with a 500W direct drive motor. All of this allows the user to glide over the pavement at up to 12 MPH. Future Motion plans on improving the battery life, and you can slide in on a first-run Onewheel for about $1,400.

The post The Segway of Skateboards: 1-Wheel Self-Balancing Wonder first appeared on Gajitz.

When you think about it, every writing implement we use depletes the harms the environment in some way – pencils use up wood, disposable pens use plastic, and even refillable pens create waste. German design company Jac Zagoory Designs is bringing back an age-old method of writing with metal to create an eco-friendly writing instrument.

It’s called the Beta Inkless Pen, and instead of ink it uses lead to create lines on almost any paper surface. It never needs to be sharpened, refilled or replaced – although since it’s made of lead you might want to be a bit careful about where you place it (don’t chew on the tip while you’re thinking of your next sentence).

The Beta pen is surprisingly affordable for a pen you never need to replace – just $27.95 for the full-size version or the keychain version. The lines won’t smudge or erase, and it works in any temperature. And maybe best of all, it’ll never embarrassingly leak in your shirt pocket.

The post Inkless Pen Uses Ancient Material, Never Needs Replacing first appeared on Gajitz.