The Complete History of Onewheel: From Early One‑Wheeled Prototypes to the Board That Changed Micro‑Mobility

The development of the Onewheel did not begin with the 2014 Kickstarter launch. Its roots go back to early self‑balancing experiments carried out by engineers and hobbyists who shared their work openly. Trevor Blackwell’s one‑wheeled unicycle in 2004 and Ben Smither’s belt‑driven board in 2006 demonstrated that a single‑wheel vehicle could be stabilized with sensors, control loops and relatively simple hardware. These early prototypes introduced ideas that later became standard features, such as speed limiting and rider feedback. This article outlines the known history of the one‑wheeled board and how these early efforts contributed to the commercial product that Future Motion eventually brought to market.

The Inventor of the One-Wheeled Board

Trevor Blackwell (born 4 November 1969, in Canada) is considered one of the forefront people enabling the making of a one-wheeled board. He is a computer programmer, engineer, and entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley that in September 2004 built a functional self-balancing unicycle.

The unicycle was using a control mechanism similar to what was used by the Segway PT dating a couple of years prior. He open-sourced the code and design of his one-wheeled unicycle for everyone to use. This code has been the source of many more inventions and designs.

When it comes to a one-wheeled board there is no confirmation of who did it first. In 2006 Ben Smither used the open-source information shared by Trevor to design his version of the one-wheeled board. Ben’s design used a motor with a band to rotate the wheel. On Mar 5, 2007, he shares a video on Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGbbag9dklU, of him riding the board and three days later he also shared his design details on his homepage. http://www.robosys.co.uk

Ben’s board was built on a go-kart wheel, a 400 Watt 24V DC Motor, an OSMC, and a PIC microcontroller. This is controlled by a simple PID control running at 100 Hz to handle the balance algorithms of the assembly. With the note:

Ideally I’d like a brushless DC hub mounted motor inside the wheel, but motor and control costs were a little high.
Ben Smither

So the one-wheeled skateboard as we know it today, the Onewheel, is not an original idea. Early prototypes have the same driving mechanism with a separate motor like Ben with a belt drive. The most interesting thing and what makes the controversy on this topic is the prior art from more than two developers was present when Future Motion got their patent granted in 2015.

Some other interesting comments from Ben’s build:

At the moment there’s no speed limiting which is a pain as a bit of headroom is required to stop the rider from falling off the front. I’m either going to add a buzzer indicating that the integrator is wound up and you’re near max speed or some kind of auto lean back type thing.
Ben Smither

Literally what we today call Pushback on the Onewheel to hinder the board from nosedive into the ground.

The Rise of Onewheel and Future Motion Inc

Future Motion Inc. is the company that took the invention to the market for everyone to be able to feel the stoke and float around on a one-wheeled board. Founded in 2013 by Kyle Doerksen there is no doubt that the Kickstarter launch changed the personal mobility sector. The work and idea started long before. Kyle Doerksen holds a B.S. in Neuroengineering (2004) and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (2005) from Stanford University.

According to Kyle Doerksen, he has been working on creating his dream of the perfect electric vehicle since 2006. Trying to get the feeling you have when riding your board down the slopes.

“I grew up in western Canada and I loved that floaty feeling of snowboarding on powder and I wanted to have that experience while riding around town.”
Kyle Doerksen

This is how the Onewheel usually is described as a personal electric transportation vehicle that looks something like an electric skateboard but feels much more like snowboarding on fresh powder.

[https://stories.maker.co/meet-kyle-doerksen-maker-of-the-futuristic-onewheel]

In 2014 eight years after the first sketches and a lot of tinkering with prototypes, Future Motion Inc. Introduced the Onewheel, in January 2014 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Following a Kickstarter campaign with a set goal of $100.000. The campaign exceeded all goals by making a revenue of more than $630.000.

At the time, Future Motion was based in Mountain View California, before moving to Santa Cruz in 2015.

In 2016 Future Motion Inc. Raised another $3.2M in series a funding round making it a venture-backed and still privately held company.

During the years three new boards have been launched, Onewheel+ 2017, Onewheel+ XR in 2018, and the latest Onewheel Pint in 2019.

	Future Motion Inc.
Type	Privately Held
Industry	Electronic Transport
Founded	2014
Founder	Kyle Doerksen
Headquarters	Santa Cruz, CA , United States
Website	onewheel.com

Future Motion Inc

The Evolution of the One‑Wheeled Board (2004–2014)

The modern Onewheel didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was the result of a decade of experimentation, open‑source engineering, and a handful of passionate inventors pushing the boundaries of personal mobility.

2004 — Trevor Blackwell’s Self‑Balancing Unicycle

Trevor Blackwell’s open‑source unicycle was the spark that ignited the one‑wheel revolution. His design used a control mechanism similar to the Segway PT and, crucially, he released the code publicly:

“He open-sourced the code and design of his one-wheeled unicycle for everyone to use.”

This made it possible for hobbyists and engineers to experiment with self‑balancing vehicles long before Future Motion existed.

2006–2007 — Ben Smither’s One‑Wheeled Skateboard

Ben Smither was the first person to publicly demonstrate a functional one‑wheeled skateboard. His prototype used:

A go‑kart wheel
A 400W 24V DC motor
A belt‑drive system
A PIC microcontroller
A PID loop running at 100 Hz

“Ben’s board was built on a go-kart wheel, a 400 Watt 24V DC Motor… controlled by a simple PID control running at 100 Hz…”

He even identified the same safety challenges Onewheel riders face today:

“At the moment there’s no speed limiting… I’m either going to add a buzzer… or some kind of auto lean back type thing.”

This is the earliest known description of what Onewheel riders now call pushback.

2013 — Kyle Doerksen Begins Prototyping Onewheel

Kyle Doerksen spent years refining his dream of a board that felt like snowboarding on powder:

“I grew up in western Canada and I loved that floaty feeling of snowboarding on powder…”

His prototypes moved away from belt‑driven motors and toward a hub motor integrated directly into the wheel — the breakthrough that made Onewheel possible.

2014 — Onewheel Launches at CES

After eight years of development, Future Motion introduced the Onewheel at CES 2014. The Kickstarter campaign exploded past its $100,000 goal, raising more than $630,000.

This moment marked the transition from invention to innovation — from garage prototypes to a mass‑market product.

Why Future Motion Succeeded Where Others Didn’t

Several inventors built one‑wheeled boards before Onewheel, but Future Motion was the first to commercialize the concept successfully. The reasons include:

1. Hub Motor Integration

Earlier prototypes used belt drives. Kyle’s hub motor design was simpler, more reliable, and more powerful.

2. Sensor Fusion

Future Motion combined:

Gyroscopic sensors
Accelerometers
Footpad pressure sensors

This created a stable, intuitive riding experience.

3. Manufacturing Capability

FM invested heavily in machining, motor design, and quality control — something hobbyists couldn’t match.

4. Branding & Community

Onewheel wasn’t just a product; it was a lifestyle. The “float” feeling became a cultural identity.

5. Perfect Timing

The 2014 Kickstarter hit during the rise of micro‑mobility and electric skateboards.