Wheebo

The project · from brief to prototype

What happened, step by step.

01

Challenge

Standing on water is exhilarating, but surfing and similar sports take practice. Yanmar asked for an entirely new water-based experience that novices can enjoy.

02

What the team learned

Interviews with water enthusiasts, and trying the activities themselves, showed the team that standing on water is the most exhilarating part.

03

What they built

Wheebo is a round, jet-powered platform that moves in any direction. A gyro sensor reads tilt, so riders steer by shifting weight. A Bluetooth wristband sets speed and stops it, it halts when no weight is sensed, and an app adjusts stability.

04

Impact

Projected: Wheebo would be rented to holidaymakers at holiday spots near natural waters, with no licence needed.

Full project text

The team’s original texts from the project page.

The Wheebo, an omni-directional, jet-powered platform, allows the user to turn with a simple shift of weight or change of tilt on the water.

Challenge

Surfboards, boats, wake-boards: there are many different ways to enjoy the water. Through interviewing water enthusiasts, and through experiencing different activities themselves, the team discovered that standing on water is a truly exhilarating experience. However, surfing and other activities where one can stand on water is difficult and requires practice. Could there be someway novices can stand on water? Yanmar challenged the students to develop an entirely new water-based experience.

Solution

The team's answer is the Wheebo, an omni-directional, jet-powered platform which allows the user to turn with a simple shift of weight or change of tilt. The simplicity of the interaction and stability of the machine delivers a fun activity that is accessible to people of all levels of water experience.

Through iterative prototyping, the team delivered a final prototype that included:
-Round platform with a central rotating jet underneath that allows the users to ride standing, sitting, or lying down.
-Bluetooth connected wristband to control the speed of the Wheebo
-Mobile app (connected via bluetooth) that customizes the Wheebo by adjusting the stability and sensitivity of the direction change sensors.

Impact

The Wheebo give its users the chance to enjoy the waters even though they are novice to standing on the water. While the diesel engine and pleasure boat manufacturer Yanmar can proof to be a pioneer in extending their collection of water pleasure boats.

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