Self - balancing scooter - wikipedia Self - balancing scooter This article is about compact two - wheeled self - balancing devices often referred to as hoverboards. For other self - balancing scooters, see Personal transporter § Self - balancing scooter. A self - balancing scooter ( hoverboard ) A self - balancing scooter ( also `` hoverboard '', self - balancing board ) is a self - balancing personal transporter consisting of two motorized wheels connected to a pair of articulated pads on which the rider places their feet. The rider controls the speed by leaning forwards or backwards, and direction of travel by twisting the pads. Invented in its current form in early 2013, the device is the subject of complex patent disputes. Volume manufacture started in China in 2014 and early units were prone to catch fire due to an overheating battery which resulted in product recalls in 2016, including one of 500,000 units sold in the United States from 8 manufacturers. Contents 1 History 2 Etymology of `` hoverboard '' 3 Design and operation 4 Issues and incidents 5 See also 6 References 7 External links History A cosplayer riding a self - balancing board at the 2015 Wizard World Chicago. Shane Chen, an American businessman and founder of Inventist filed a patent for a device of this type in February 2013 and launched a Kickstarter fund - raising campaign in May 2013. The devices ' increasing popularity in Western countries has been attributed, initially, to endorsement by the wide array of celebrities ( including Justin Bieber, Jamie Foxx, Kendall Jenner, Chris Brown, Soulja Boy and Wiz Khalifa ). The founders of the American company, PhunkeeTree, encountered the board at the Hong Kong Electronics Show, in 2014 and became involved in its distribution, shortly thereafter. By June 2015, the board was being made by several manufacturers, mainly in the Shenzhen region of China. In January 2015 through Inventist, he announced his intention to pursue litigation In April 2015, Ninebot, a significant manufacturer of devices acquired Segway Inc. ( which separately asserted that it holds patents for self - balancing scooters. ) in order to resolve the dispute. In May Chen voiced his frustrations regarding patent rights in China. In August 2015, Mark Cuban announced plans to purchase the Hovertrax patents from Chen. Many of the units provided in the first year of manufacture were defective and likely to catch fire, resulting in a major product recall from multiple manufacturers during 2016 ( more details below ). In June 2016 the U.S. International Trade Commission issued an injunction for patent infringement against UPTECH, U.P. Technology, U.P. Robotics, FreeGo China, EcoBoomer, and Roboscooters. Robstep, INMOTION, Tech in the City, FreeGo settled with Segway. Etymology of `` hoverboard '' The use of the term `` hoverboard '' to describe these devices, which do n't actually hover, has led to considerable discussion in the media. The first use of the term for can be traced back to a 1967 science fiction novel by M.K. Joseph and subsequently popularized in the 1989 film, Back to the Future Part II where Marty McFly uses one in a fictional 2015. While the first trademark use of hoverboard was registered in 1996 as a collecting and trading game, its first use as a commercial name representing a wheeled scooter was in 1999, and Guinness World Records lists a farthest hoverboard flight entry. In September 2015 the Oxford English Dictionary stated in their view the term had not been in use in the context for long enough for inclusion and that for the time being they would restrict their description to boards that Marty McFly would recognize. The term `` self - balancing electric scooter '' remains popular. Design and operation How to ride self - balancing scooter images step by step The device has two 6.5 inches ( 170 mm ) - 8 inches ( 200 mm ) diameter wheels connected to a self - balancing control mechanism using built - in gyroscopic and a sensor pad. By tilting the pad the rider can control the speed and direction of travel achieving speeds of between 6 miles per hour ( 9.7 km / h ) and 15 miles per hour ( 24 km / h ) with a range of up to 12 miles ( 19 km ) dependent on model, terrain, rider weight and other factors. As with most wheeled vehicles where the rider is exposed, Consumer Reports has recommended that users wear appropriate safety gear while using them. Issues and incidents A Customs and Border Protection officer at the Chicago field office stands between aisles of seized counterfeit hoverboards. There were many instances of units catching fire, with claims that they were responsible for numerous residential fires between late 2015 into 2016. In the United Kingdom, authorities expressed concerns with the boards, regarding possible faulty wiring. Many airlines banned the transportation of the boards, both as stored or carry - on luggage. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ( CPSC ) launched an investigation into the safety of the device in late 2015 and determined that the lithium - ion battery packs in the self - balancing scooters / hoverboards could overheat and posed a risk of catching fire / exploding, and that defects had led to 60 fires in over 20 states. In July 2016 the commission ordered the recall of over 500,000 units from 8 manufacturers. The Swagway model X1 constituted the majority of the recalled `` hoverboards, '' at 267,000 units. In January 2016 the Philippines, the Departments of Health and Trade and Industry issued a joint advisory cautioning the public against buying them, due to reports of injuries and `` potential electrocution connected with its usage ''. The advisory also stated `` as a precautionary measure, the DOH and DTI - Consumer Protection Group therefore advise parents against buying hoverboards for children under 14 years of age. '' In May 2016, the miniPRO produced by Segway Inc. received UL certification, as did a company in Shenzhen, China. In June 2016, after safety improvements in design, the UL - approved Swagtron was launched in the United States. However, the danger of self - balance board have continued as there were several houses that caught on fire due to these devices in 2017. See also Regulation of personal transporters Onewheel Segway PT Self - balancing unicycle References Jump up ^ Two - wheel, self - balancing vehicle with independently movable foot placement sections US 8738278 B2 Jump up ^ `` Hovertrax ''. Kickstarter. 1 May 2013. ^ Jump up to : Pierce, David ( 29 June 2015 ). `` The Weird Origin Story of the World 's Most Viral Scooter ''. Wired. Retrieved 12 October 2015. Jump up ^ Reed Tucker ( August 20, 2015 ). `` New Yorkers ca n't be bothered to walk anymore ''. New York Post. Jump up ^ Rick Broida ( August 26, 2015 ). `` Meet the ' hoverboard ' that got Wiz Khalifa arrested ''. Fortune. Jump up ^ Naushad K Cherrayil ( October 5, 2015 ). `` Hoverboards seen hogging limelight at Gitex Shopper ''. Gulf News. Jump up ^ Robert A. Chronkleton ( September 20, 2015 ). `` 2 - wheel electric scooters take off ''. The Kansas City Star. Jump up ^ Joseph Bernstein ( November 27, 2015 ). `` How To Make Millions Of Hoverboards ( Almost ) Overnight ''. Buzzfeed. Retrieved December 24, 2015. Jump up ^ Jerry Beilinson ( 7 January 2015 ). `` Hovertrax and the battle of the auto - balancing skateboards ''. Consumer Reports. ^ Jump up to : Hiawatha Bray ( 13 May 2016 ). `` Segway pounces on hoverboard market ''. Boston Globe. Jump up ^ Kaiman, Jonathan ( May 30, 2015 ). `` For Solowheel maker, a patent rights nightmare in China ''. Los Angeles Times. ^ Jump up to : CW33 ( September 18, 2015 ). `` Patent wars : Mark Cuban involved in ' hoverboard ' battle ''. AOL. Jump up ^ Dan Hyde ( December 16, 2015 ). `` Amazon tells customers : Get rid of your exploding hoverboards ''. The Telegraph. Jump up ^ James Eng ( December 16, 2015 ). `` Man Sues Hoverboard Maker Swagway Over Fire That Damaged His Home ''. NBC News. Jump up ^ `` Is The Popular Hoverboard The Most Dangerous Holiday Gift ? ''. CBS Detroit. December 29, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Hoverboard sparks house fire in Australia ''. The Telegraph. January 5, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Certain Personal Transporters, Components Thereof, and Manuals Therefor ; Issuance of a General Exclusion Order, a Limited Exclusion Order, and a Cease and Desist Order, Termination of Investigation ''. Federal Register. 13 June 2016. Jump up ^ Nick Statt ( January 8, 2016 ). `` They 're called hoverboards now, and there 's nothing we can do about it ''. The Verge. Jump up ^ Jessica Contrera ( August 31, 2015 ). `` Your fancy scooter is cool, but it 's not a ' hoverboard. ' Why do n't we have hoverboards yet ? ''. Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2016. Jump up ^ Rachel Bishop ( December 30, 2015 ). `` 5 reasons you CAN call it a hoverboard even if it does n't hover ''. Metro.co.uk. Jump up ^ Shea, Ammon. `` Hoverboard ''. Merriam - Webster. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 23. The word hoverboard has recently seen a dramatic surge in use, as a result of it being widely used to describe a kind of scooter, one which has two wheels attached to a small platform and is operated in a hands - free fashion. That it does not hover seems not to bother people as much as the fact that the devices are, at least in this early state of development, rather prone to catching on fire. (... ) Although the word hoverboard did not enjoy widespread use until after this cinematic exposure, it did exist before this time. In 1986 it appeared in an issue of Texas Monthly magazine, in Stephan Harrington 's imagining of what Texas might look like in the year 2036 (... ) But the earliest currently known use of the word, by a long shot, comes from a 1967 book by M.K. Joseph, The Hole in the Zero. This novel, subtitled A Story of the Future, falls into the genre of what might be called speculative science - fiction. (... ) We should not be so surprised that the wheeled variety now so seemingly ubiquitous should have been granted its slightly imprecise name ; when you come down to it, hoverboard is probably a catchier name than rollerboard and certainly preferable to fireboard. Jump up ^ Kevin Lynch ( April 30, 2016 ). `` Confirmed : Franky Zapata sets new Farthest hoverboard flight record in France ''. Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 12, 2016. Jump up ^ `` hoverboard ''. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved October 14, 2015. Jump up ^ Jonathan Dent ( September 2015 ). `` New words notes September 2015 ''. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved October 14, 2015. But what is a real hoverboard ? The prototypes unveiled by Lexus and ArxPax recently clearly satisfy the most important criteria for Back to the Future fans : they hover. Both rely on the repelling power of intense magnetic fields -- generated by superconducting magnets cooled by liquid nitrogen -- acting on a special magnetized track. So neither holds out the possibility that we 'll all be zooming around towns and cities on them anytime soon. On the other hand, the boards ridden by rapper Wiz Khalifa at Los Angeles airport recently ( ridden, that is, until police wrestled him to the ground ), and by a pilgrim performing the tawaf in Mecca are hoverboards in name only : the word is currently registered as a trademark in the US and the UK by manufacturers of a miniature, Segway - style, two - wheeled vehicle which stays firmly on the ground. Whether these devices take off ( while not actually taking off ) remains to be seen ; certainly, they have n't been round long enough to be included in the new OED entry, which restricts itself to boards that Marty McFly would recognize Jump up ^ Adario Strange ( April 16, 2016 ). `` The rise and fall of the hoverboard ''. Retrieved May 12, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Top 10 Best Hoverboards in 2017 -- Buyer 's guide ''. top10thebest. Retrieved 18 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` What 's the Hoverboard 's Top Speed ? ''. Best electric hoverboard. Retrieved 19 February 2018. Jump up ^ Christopher Raymond ( December 15, 2015 ). `` Hoverboard Safety : Consumer Reports Puts Self - Balancing Scooters to the Test ''. Consumer Reports. Retrieved December 30, 2015. Jump up ^ Tomlinson, R. Tyler ( 16 December 2015 ). `` Holiday Safety Concerns : Hoverboards Catching on Fire ''. The National Law Review. Stark & Stark. Retrieved 21 December 2015. Jump up ^ Ben Mutzabaugh ( December 14, 2015 ). `` All of the USA 's big airlines now ban hoverboards ''. USA Today. Retrieved December 24, 2015. Jump up ^ Diana Samuels ( 2015 - 12 - 09 ). `` Another hoverboard toy explodes in Louisiana, TV station says ''. www.nola.com. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Chairman 's Hoverboard Press Statement ''. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. July 6, 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 12. Jump up ^ `` More than 500,000 hoverboards are being recalled ''. The Verge. Retrieved 11 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` Self - Balancing Scooters / Hoverboards Recalled by 10 Firms Due to Fire Hazard ''. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 12. Jump up ^ `` DOH, DTI warn public vs use of hoverboards ''. The Philippine Star. January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2016. Jump up ^ `` SWAGTRON to launch world 's first UL2272 approved hoverboard available for retail in the USA ''. 1 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Hoverboard bursts into flames while charging, damages Clarkston home ''. 1 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Shocking moment hoverboard violently EXPLODES in a Missouri mall sending shoppers diving for cover ''. 29 September 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Self - balancing scooters. `` 2272 and the safety of personal e-mobility devices ''. Underwriters Laboratory. `` UL2722 - Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices ''. Underwriters Laboratory. 21 November 2016. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Self-balancing_scooter&oldid=839306733 '' Categories : 2010s fads and trends Battery electric vehicles Electric two - wheel vehicles Personal transporters Scooters Vehicles introduced in 2014 Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto فارسی Français Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Кыргызча Nederlands Polski Português Română Русский Slovenčina Slovenščina Suomi Svenska Татарча / tatarça Türkçe Українська 粵語 17 more Edit links This page was last edited on 2 May 2018, at 16 : 07. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the self balancing scooter come out
Answer: 2014