Hoverboards

[Rick]

meh, you old farking spoilsports
as if any of us haven't done dangerous stuff with homemade shit when we were young
billycarts, fireworks, bikes, etc

Of course I did, but toys wernt powered and complicated like today, hell there was no laws, shit the copper even used to stop and play, push the billy cart, even light crackers with you in the street, try doing that now, hell no wonder kids are so anti law now, miss those old days, oh and PS OB I used to be a rollerfag, I was champion 2 years running at roller disco Hobart

[hoe]

rollerfag is correct, at least I was a manly ice hockey player.......

ban the hoverboard, along with those bloody hipsters.....

[VroomVroom]

wonder if those electric single wheel monocycle things are banned as well , seen plenty of them in Singapore used everywhere.

[gordon_s1942]

wonder if those electric single wheel monocycle things are banned as well , seen plenty of them in Singapore used everywhere.

Single wheel as in those ridden in a Circus then I dont believe they are as they are considered a Bicycle in form but if you mean the Swegway which has a wheel on each side of a Platform with a Column/Handle bars in the middle, then YES, it is banned on Public Roads and Footpaths, at least in NSW.

[weirdo]

Single wheel as in those ridden in a Circus then I dont believe they are as they are considered a Bicycle in form but if you mean the Swegway which has a wheel on each side of a Platform with a Column/Handle bars in the middle, then YES, it is banned on Public Roads and Footpaths, at least in NSW.

Swegway?
lol, why not make it Smegway

[jok11n]

no there's a single wheel version as well, no handles

[VroomVroom]

yes the Solowheel , that is it. they fold up and can worn as a backpack. they are ridden to the subway , worn as backpacks on the train , then ridden to the office.

[loanrangiel]

These are the worst idea ever , how many kids will smash their face before they are banned outright.
At least with a normal segway there is something to hold onto.

[lsemmens]

How many of us used to fall out of trees and such. Any of these gadgets aimed at kids should be speed and range limited. Of course if you are an adult, then they should perhaps fall under the motor vehicle act.

[Rick]

Any of these gadgets aimed at kids should be speed and range limited.

Should be more aimed at us adults, I wouldnt even attempt trying one, as I know I would face plant first go lol

[gordon_s1942]

I see NSW has banned the 2 wheeled so called 'Hoverboard' from being used in public places and a petition is being circulated to have the Ban removed but I wont be supporting it, even for these to be used on Private Property as I believe these a capable of causing injuries to the Head, Hands, Wrists and Shoulders even if the user is wearing protective clothing partly because it is being driven, not self propelled.
A Fine of $319 was quoted but there was the suggestion the user could also be fined for being Unlicensed, Unregistered and Uninsured which if applied, could total over a $1000 in Fines based on each being between $300~400 today.

There is no minimum age for these fines to be applied so being a juvenile wont help.

[SpankedHam]

It's 2015. Where's my hoverboard?!!!!

Right here son, .

[enf]

It's 2015. Where's my hoverboard?!!!!

Right here son, .

Hmmm....interesting. Doesn't look too suitable for rough terrain. I wonder if any fans are redundant...

[Uncle Fester]

It's 2015. Where's my hoverboard?!!!!

Right here son, .

Yes it hovers
Of course he could put a rubber skirt around it and then we have a hoverCRAFT ...and save maybe 50-75% energy
... and work over water too

[spook]

Was parked outside a shopping centre car park yesterday and watched some kids using hoverboards in the car park which was really full. They don't seem very stable as the kids spent most of their time on the ground, but one got it together really well and raced across the car park, only to smash into the side of a car going past. Only took a few minutes for the ambulance to arrive and take him away, he wasn't in the best condition and his board smashed under the car wheels. The cops who turned up made the kids walk away with their boards and not try to ride them. From what I could gather, stopping them created a forward force they couldn't control and going forward did the same. Seems you'd need a lot of practice to control them safely.

[Uncle Fester]

Here some info why they are so 'hot' :

...or not. There does not seem to be a single outstanding reason other than insufficiently tested, hasty design that was too quick to get to the market.

Mike Tyson has fun with them too:

[lsemmens]

There does not seem to be a single outstanding reason other than insufficiently tested, hasty design that was too quick to get to the market.

I think that you have hit the nail on the head. Just because it can be done, does that mean it should be done. You can jump off a roof, and, in some cases, get away with it, but should you? I like the concept, but, on the roads/footpaths, in the hands of inexperienced riders??????? Hell no!

[mtv]

Just 10 minutes after a hoverboard was plugged in to charge a Melbourne family was fleeing a fiery blaze that had windows exploding.
A Melbourne father tried to put out the hoverboard fire but it burned too quickly.

His daughter plugged the Christmas present in about 10 minutes before the blaze started in the Strathmore home on Monday night.
"My daughter came running into the lounge room and said there was a fire in the bedroom," Ash Ibraheim told reporters on Tuesday.

"I ran there to try to put it out. It was too late, the bed had caught fire."
"In the panic of it all, I slipped, fell on my back. And then by the time I sort of came to stand up there was an explosion and I just sort of scrambled and ran out."
The fire got into the roof and ran along to the front of the home, which will likely be bulldozed.

Fire investigator Rod East said the hoverboard's battery had exploded.

"The insides have been spewed out," he said.
"The actual device would have caught fire and it's caught on to the bed and spread through the rest of the house."
Powerboards were plugged throughout the house, which could disrupt flow to charging devices.
Mr East said he wouldn't allow kids to charge any device, let alone hoverboards.
"Me personally, I probably wouldn't let the kids have them unless they're being supervised," he said.
"Overseas, they've been a real big problem. They've had a number of fires, they've had people injured from those fires.
"This is our first one here."

Fire crews retrieved the burnt device and a new one that was undamaged and will hand them over to Energy Safe Victoria to examine.
The regulator will track down the product's distributor in NSW.

ESV spokesman Neil Fraser said five varieties of hoverboard had already been recalled across Australia, because they had non-compliant chargers.
A recall notice would be issued immediately if the model in the Melbourne home was found to have an inherent problem.
"Exercise caution. Don't leave it unattended while you're charging it until we know what make and model this one was," Mr Fraser told AAP.

HOVERBOARD HINTS
* Hoverboards are also known as self-balancing scooters
* They're electrical, two-wheeled devices
* Prices range from $200 to $2400
* Speed and steering controlled by shift in rider's weight
* Have an in-built battery charged by connection to power source
* Overcharging dodgy devices may cause overheating of the battery, and cause fire
* Packaging should have the Australian RCM, a tick surrounded by a triangle
* That shows product complies with electrical safety requirements
(Source: ACCC)
Originally published as Vic hoverboard battery exploded: firies

[Rick]

I stick by what I posted earlier! dangerous in all manners.

The federal government has announced the consumer watchdog will launch an investigation into the safety of hoverboards – or electronic balancing scooters – which have caused fires and serious injuries in Australia and overseas.
The statement comes in the wake of a non-compliant charger for a no-name hoverboard on Tuesday.
"The Victorian incident raises serious concerns and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will conduct a formal investigation into the safety of these products," a spokesperson for Small Business Minister Kelly O'Dwyer said.
"The ACCC is continuing to co-ordinate recalls of non-compliant products and has provided consumer safety information on the Recalls Australia and Product Safety Australia websites. The minister intends to respond to the Victorian minister with this information."
Victoria's Consumer Affairs Minister Jane Garrett had earlier urged Ms O'Dwyer to consider a permanent ban on the devices, given many did not meet Australia's safety standards.
The minister's spokesperson reiterated the incident was a matter for Victorian electrical safety authorities.
"Electrical safety is managed under state and territory laws. These products should comply with state electrical safety standards and display compliance marks, and be used, stored and charged carefully," she said.
NSW's minister responsible for fair trading, Victor Dominello, also urged owners of recalled hoverboards to stop using the toys and return them.
"People need to remember that although these products may be sold as toys, they are an electrical device," Mr Dominello said.
"They have become a popular product in recent times but you should never leave a child alone when they are using them and never leave a hoverboard charging unattended."
So far, six hoverboards or their chargers have been recalled, including the Moonwalker two-wheel scooter by Hunter Sports sold at Big W, the charger for two Go Skitz models sold at numerous stores, including Harvey Norman, and the charger for the AirWalk scooter sold via various online stores including Catch of the Day.
The hoverboard that caused the Melbourne house fire was purchased from a Sydney-based online retailer, but had no brand name, hampering the investigation and recall recommendations.
The ACCC has identified risks to users from falls, as well as products that are non-compliant.
Consumers are being urged to check any hoverboard for the Australian approval number or marks that may be in the form of a tick surrounded by a triangle, which signifies the supplier has gained an electrical safety approval for the device.
"Never force a plug on an electrical device. Only charge your hoverboard when you are at home and only use the charger that came with the product. Never place it on charge and leave it unattended. Devices can overheat if they are overcharged and non-compliant devices may ignite if over-charged," Mr Dominello said.
Owners of compliant hoverboards are encouraged to wear protective gear, including helmets, shoes, kneepads, elbow pads and wrist guards.
Affected consumers are urged to seek a full refund from the retailer.
Master Electricians Australia chief executive Malcolm Richards demanded that regulators begin prosecuting suppliers of unsafe electrical products, saying "enough is enough".
He also said regulators needed obtain purchase lists from every retailer – including Big W, eBay and Scoopon – in order to warn owners they needed to stop using the faulty product.
The Victorian Government is pushing for a complete ban on hoverboards after a number of reports about the self-balancing toy catching fire.
The state Consumer Affairs Minister Jane Garrett has written to the Federal Minister for Small Business, Kelly O'Dwyer, to "permanently ban" the popular Christmas present.

[mtv]

Here's another one... exploded.

This time in a Sydney home.

A hoverboard has exploded in a child’s bedroom in Sydney, with four people still inside the home.