How can you possibly fall off a self balancing scooter?

Jan 24, 2019 23 Replies

Also there have been tests where a perfectly balanced human-size/weight dummy is attached to a bike, and it falls over even when it is travelling at a speed that a human could ride easily. That suggests that minute adjustments to balance and steering are a major factor in staying upright.

That's the gyroscopic effect. If the wheel is rotating and you twist the axle side-to-side (in a horizontal plane), there is a force that tries to twist the axle up-and-down (in a vertical plane). It acts so as to correct a tendency to fall over: if you start to lean to the left and the front axle turns to the left, the gyroscopic force acts to try to move the bike back to vertical, and its magnitude varies with speed.

I can see why people though that this was the only force that mattered, since it does play a small part in keeping balance - it's just that it's not enough on it own.

I read of an experiment where a bike was fitted with wheels that had discs of equal mass to the wheel that were rotated (electrically) in the opposite direction so as to cancel out any gyroscopic force. And the bike was still rideable, though it was slightly harder to keep one's balance.

It simply moves the platform and the rider's feet back to below the CoG. Hence rebalancing.

SteveW

I would have said a large part. Just try balancing on a bicycle that's stationary.

I guess it's also harder if you have a very lightweight racing bike with lighter wheels. Mind you, I could never ride a bike with narrow handlebars, I can only ride mountain bikes. Not enough leverage to balance by steering in those drop handlebar types.

There's something you can do with a computer chair (as in one that can rotate) and a bicycle wheel. I can't remember what it was, something like your friend gets the wheel spinning and hands it to you, then you turn it to the horizontal, making the chair spin round.

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