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Source(watch it): https://youtu.be/zhd-gU_KH2o?t=424
Note: The video is Hungarian, so you might not understand it.

What is their role in the story?

In short, monowheels and dynaspheres are an alternative to motorcycles, they are quick, cheap, and are able to protect against frontal crashes to a degree, by simply spinning around their users inside. (this isn't really pleasant, but still better than dying.)

enter image description here

The first version.

enter image description here

A newer iteration

Their problems and possible solutions

  • You can (not) turn:

Dynaspheres weren't able to turn around or stop, for obvious reasons.

Proposed solution: Backup wheels, that are also able to lift the whole structure, stopping the forward movement without stopping the main wheel.

With that being said, did I miss other possible problems within the concept?

Note: yes, the pictures are big, And detailed! One of the says more than 1000 words can.

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    $\begingroup$ Is your question just whether you missed anything in the faults? If you want us to commend on "backup wheels" then we might need a bit more information about the process you want to employ. $\endgroup$
    – Lio Elbammalf
    Apr 17, 2017 at 11:57
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    $\begingroup$ This question does not seem on-topic. These things exist in the real world. The engineering challenges associated with them have been well documented. $\endgroup$
    – cobaltduck
    Apr 17, 2017 at 12:35
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    $\begingroup$ As @cobaltduck said, this is a real product. Why don't you research them to see what engineering challenges they might actually have? I don't see what the question is here. $\endgroup$
    – kingledion
    Apr 17, 2017 at 13:46
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    $\begingroup$ Perhaps better answers would be obtained on the Physics site. Offhand, I can't see that turning would be that much of a problem, just a matter of shifting balance. Ever rolled a tire? $\endgroup$
    – jamesqf
    Apr 17, 2017 at 17:48
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    $\begingroup$ @cobaltduck Being about real world doesn't automatically make it off-topic, but current consensus seems to be that there must be some part of actual world building. Like, getting understanding of real world issue to build a fictional world with this understanding. I don't think I see worldbuilding part here. So you are probably right this is off topic (I gave it benefit of doubt by voting unclear), you got the reasons slightly wrong. $\endgroup$
    – Mołot
    Apr 17, 2017 at 20:39

1 Answer 1

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Acceleration/deceleration

The biggest danger with monowheels is that they rely on using the user as a 'counter weight' to speed up or slow down. This limits your speed change, and if you exceed that limit (for example by slamming the brakes) the user inside will just start spinning head-over-heels without it affecting the forward movement of the entire device much.

The two main problems then become emergency stops and 'steep' slopes: slopes that a normal car would handle with ease.
For normal fast acceleration, you should just avoid drag races and you'll be fine.

Balance

Another problem is balance. To avoid the problem mentioned above you'd want to have your center of mass very low. However, that makes balancing harder: try balancing a broom (high center of mass) on one end versus balancing a short stick (low center of mass) on one end, you'll find it much easier to balance anything with a high center of mass.

Bicycles also face this balance problem (though much less with a high center of mass), it's nearly impossible to balance a slow moving bicycle because you can't get the wheels below your center of mass fast enough. When riding faster, this becomes much easier.

There are two ways to fix this: broader wheels, or going faster.
However, broader wheels makes it harder to steer. And going faster probably ends up in braking really hard, and the problems mentioned earlier.

Reaction wheels

However, there is a solution to at least alleviate these issues: reaction wheels and counter weights. To turn you can just move a counter weight. To accelerate faster you can just spin up a reaction wheel, and you brake you spin down that same wheel. And they also do wonders for stability.

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  • $\begingroup$ So, the backup wheels can solve this. +1, thanks. $\endgroup$
    – Mephistopheles
    Apr 17, 2017 at 13:48

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