Sadly not all the futuristic predictions in Back to The Future II have come true, but one that Marty McFly did foresee was the hover board. Whilst the hover board isn’t quite as it was imagined in the film, swegways have been taking over in 2015 and gathering headlines at quite a pace.
With everyone from celebs to even UK police officers being spotted on them, swegways are the must have gadget moving the nation. From using a swegway to give legs a break from walking or as a fun hobby, swegways can be used in a multitude of situations as a handy transportation device.
Whether you call them hover boards, swegways or self-balancing boards they are big news in the UK and across the world. In short, they are fundamentally a board with a wheel attached either side, a simple design on the outside with a lot going on in the inside. As simple as the design may seem swegways are reliant upon two pads which are operated by body pressure.
For example, when a user tilts forwards or backwards slightly they will then go in the respective direction. To turn users need to put pressure on either leg to drive the board round in their desired direction. Essentially swegways are reliant upon the user having good balance or you’ll end up toppling off.
Available in a multitude of designs and colours, Swegway Board UK even offer a celebrity worthy gold version. Singer Jason Derulo even performed a dance routine on his at the MTV EMA awards in Milan this October proving the trend has the A-listers seal of approval and even a police officer was spotted on one in the UK.
The rules and regulations around where you’re allowed to use a swegway are a little vague tosay the least and if a member of the public was spotted on one, then enforcement of the law seems quite lax.
The law banning swegways dates back to 1835, over 180 years before they were even invented. Whilst you may think the government then were simply forward thinking and ahead of their time, swegways fall under the ‘carriage’ description in the law which bans them from our pathways and in order to be deemed road worthy vehicles must be licensed, insured and meet construction requirements. What kill joys they were back then.
Whilst they may be banned from use on public roads and pathways, a swegway most certainly comes in handy in a variety of situations. Whether you use your swegways in the kitchen or a dinner parties for speedy preparation, in the office when travelling to and from meetings or simply for a little bit of fun you’ll soon wonder what you did without one.
With a little balance and control you’ll soon be whizzing round on the latest transportation gadget of the moment.
