Ben Gulak

Ben Gulak
Born Benjamin J. Poss Gulak[1]
1989 (age 27–28)
Milton, Ontario, Canada
Residence Boston, Massachusetts
Known for Inventor of The Uno
Website bpgulak.com

Ben Gulak (born 1989) is a Ukrainian Canadian inventor best known for creating the Uno, an eco-friendly,[1][2] electric-powered vehicle that bears a resemblance to a motorized unicycle.[3] The vehicle had its first public unveiling in 2008,[4] and was awarded a Top-10 prize on Popular Science's list of 2008 Invention Awards.[5] Gulak founded the Massachusetts-based company BPG Motors, which has also developed a design for the DTV (dual-tracked vehicle) Shredder, a portable all-terrain vehicle with the handlebars of a Segway and treads similar to those of a tank.[6]

Early life

Benjamin J. Poss Gulak[1][7] was born in 1989[8] in Milton, Ontario.[4] He is the only child of Ken and Sylvie Gulak. His father is in the food business, and his mother is a psychotherapist.[9] Gulak's grandfather was a design engineer,[10] and at a young age Gulak would help his grandfather tinker in his basement machine shop.[1] He spent much of his childhood making model trains, rockets, and other projects,[1] and was a fan of inventor Nikola Tesla.[11] His grandfather died in 2003, and Gulak inherited the machine shop.[8][10]

In ninth grade, he entered a school science fair with a "real simple magnetic car that shot around a track using accelerator coils."[1][10] He ended up being chosen to represent Canada on an International Level on Team Canada, which consists of 18 people competing against 54 other countries.[1] According to Gulak, his classes subsequently suffered as he frequently skipped school to work on further science fair projects.[11] In 2005, he entered in McMaster Engineering's summer L.E.A.P. program, where he was a team leader in the robotics program and helped the team win a robot-building competition.[12]

BPG Motors

The Uno

While a senior in highschool in 2006, Gulak began working on a design for the Uno following a trip to China with his father.[13] After witnessing major smog pollution caused by heavy use of small motor vehicles,[14] he decided he wanted to create an eco-friendly alternative to submit to a science fair.[1][2] According to Gulak, "I wanted it to be something small enough to store indoors: you could bring it up to your apartment to plug in and charge, and then you could ride it around on the road."[11] His first designs were on Google SketchUp.[15]

His initial design efforts consisted of an iron frame with wheelchair motors, batteries and gyroscopes.[2] He described his first test-ride as "absolutely terrifying" and resulting in a crash and a chipped kneecap.[2] Other early problems, including a series of electrical fires, arose. He was then joined by California robotics expert Trevor Blackwell,[2] and together they refined the Uno's gyro control system so the machine would properly balance and move smoothly.[2] Gulak then used the revised plans to develop a prototype vehicle with the help of various partners.[1][2][16][17] The Uno is an electric-powered vehicle that bears a resemblance to a motorized unicycle. Described in news reports as either a "one wheeled motorcycle" or "electric unicycle", it is more accurately a dicycle, created by placing two closely spaced wheels side-by-side at the centre-point of the vehicle.[3] He began building the prototype at a motorcycle shop outside Toronto.[5]

He entered his first Uno through Team Canada during the 2008 international science fair.[1] The vehicle had its first public unveiling at the Toronto Spring Motorcycle Show in 2008,[4] and was awarded a Top-10 prize on Popular Science's list of 2008 Invention Awards [5][18][19] In an episode of the CBC series Dragons' Den, Gulak obtained $1,250,000 of venture capital for a 20% share in further development of the Uno cycle.[6][20][21][22] He also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to talk about the project.[9]

He put off attending MIT for a year to work on the project,[9] raising funds and moving to Boston to open a small office in Cambridge.[11] He started the company BPG Motors to develop the motorcycle.[17][23] He enrolled in MIT in fall of 2008.[8][24]

The Shredder

At age 22 while at MIT, Gulak created the DTV Shredder, an all-terrain vehicle. According to Gulak, "In a recession it doesn’t make sense to have to buy an expensive snowmobile that you can ride for three months of the year and an all-terrain vehicle that you can ride for four months of the year. I wanted to make something small enough that you could fit it in the back of any car. And I wanted it to be something you’d be able to ride all year, whether in snow, sand, or mud."[11] The small vehicle has Segway-like handlebars, wheels similar to tank treads, and can tow up to 400 pounds.[17]

The vehicle became popular with X Games fans.[6] In late 2010, Gulak posted some videos of a prototype online, which by the next day had accumulated 50,000 hits, and a million hits within a week. Some bloggers assumed it was a new military device, while Gulak claims it was also intended as an extreme sports vehicle.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "It's Unique - but can it Pop a Wheelie?". Glenn Roberts. Motorcycle Mojo. May–June 2008. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Uno and only". James F. Quinn. Chicago Tribune. June 29, 2008. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Gyro Technology". Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 supershowevents.com, Toronto Spring Motorcycle Show, accessed 01-02-2009
  5. 1 2 3 "2008 Invention Awards". Popular Science. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  6. 1 2 3 Erdely, Sabrina Rubin (October 28, 2011). "How Inventor Ben Gulak Went From Science-Fair Nerd to the Playboy Mansion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  7. ↑ "BPG Uno III Transforming Scooter Unveiled". Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 "Inventor of the week - Ben Gulak". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. August 2008. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 "Teen's electric unicycle a sensation". Trish Crawford. Toronto Star. June 3, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 "Inventor's dream of electric bike brought to life". Josh Max. New York Daily News. June 30, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Fellows Friday with Ben Gulak". Ted Blog. January 21, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  12. ↑ "Inventor of electric unicycle a L.E.A.P. graduate". McMaster University. June 4, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  13. ↑ "Electric Uno has two wheels but it's not a motorbike". Motoring. June 29, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "The Uno Electric Motorcycle, or MotorUnicycle". Matt Embrey. Green Upgrader website. May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  15. ↑ "Uno: a Unicycle-Motorbike-Segway Hybrid". Kit Eaton. Gizmodo. April 25, 2008. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  16. ↑ "'Uno' You Want It. - MIT hopeful Ben Gulak creates an eco-friendly bike chock full of power and 'cool'". Sean Rushton. Innovation Canada. July 24, 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  17. 1 2 3 "Uno motorcycle reconfigures itself on the fly". Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  18. ↑ "YSF Alumnus, Ben Gulak's "Uno" featured on cover of June 2008 Popular Science". Youth Science Foundation Canada. May 13, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  19. ↑ "The Zero-Emissions One-Wheeled Motorcycle". Bjorn Carey. Popular Science. May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  20. ↑ "Episode 6: All Dragons want part of Uno deal". Financial Post. November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  21. ↑ "Motorcycle Mojo presents footage of Ben Gulak on the CBC show Dragons' Den". Motorcycle Mojo. Motorcycle Mojo website. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  22. ↑ "Teen Designed Motorcycles". Mary Teresa Bitti. Trendhunter Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  23. ↑ "BPG Motors UNO". Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  24. ↑ "Who Is Ben Gulak?". James S. Robbins. National Review. August 13, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.

Further reading

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