Jyroball is an electric ball you can ride to work
If you've ever wanted to ride a ball to work, now you can.
Jyroball is a spherical, self-balancing electric vehicle that can travel at more than 12 mph. It looks like a large soccer ball or basketball with retractable foot platforms coming out of its core.
It's available for pre-orders Tuesday before it ships in September.
The rideable rubber ball comes from vehicle company Moby, which works with pioneers from the weird rideable market like the inventor of the self-balancing unicycle launched back in 2005. However, Jyroball doesn't claim to be a hoverboard or other one-wheel vehicles (like the easy-to-remember OneWheel skateboard that recently released a smaller 27-inch long Pint version), but its own category.
The vehicle's rotating ball shape is supposed to allow for agile movements and since it's self-balancing, theoretically you just have to move your body to move forward — no remote control necessary. But that can often be easier said than done, and depending on your skills it can take many sessions attempting to master riding the rechargeable ball.
The Jyroball is built to be compact and light -- ish. It's 20 pounds and 10 inches in diameter, so it's not nothing, but you can bring it into your office without much fuss if you're commuting on it. A single charge lasts for 14 miles and can handle up to a 15 percent incline.
Early bird pre-orders start today at $359. The rideable ball will eventually be priced around $900.
Have a ball (and wear a helmet).
Topics Electric Vehicles
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
