GyroBike
Team
Hannah Murnen ’06
Augusta Niles ’07
Nathan Sigworth ’07
Deborah Sperling ’06
Company Overview
The GyroBike™ was designed as an alternative to children’s bicycle training wheels that allows for realistic handling, more movement, and greater stability. The invention provides a stabilizing system and method for two-wheeled vehicles— typically small human-powered bicycles— that affords the rider full range of movement common to cycling. It provides enhanced stability during turns, tilts and other maneuvers that would ordinarily (especially at start-up) contribute to a fall. Additionally, the GyroBike™ offers particular advantages to adults and older children who are disinclined to use training wheels and need extended stability in a two-wheeler
THE SCIENCE
The GyroBike™ works by the following mechanism. A rotating flywheel mounted coaxially on the front axle can be induced to spin significantly faster than the front wheel, thereby generating a gyroscopic effect at the front wheel about the axle. This gyroscopic effect influences the rider’s steering of the wheel. Due to precession, the wheel tends to follow any excessive bank by the bicycle, ensuring that the rider can “steer-out-of" an unintended tilt or bank. Likewise, the gyroscopic effect limits the rider's ability to execute excessive steering, thereby preventing jackknife movements.
Next Steps
Because the device has been such a success among all of the parents and children who have tested it, we have decided to pursue this project beyond the prototype. We patented the concept and are currently developing our pitch. We hope to license our patent to a bicycle company by this summer.