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A RIOT wheel is a one-wheeled vehicle, or monowheel. Housing a motor and counterweight inside a giant wheel, the driver sits on a platform that extends out in front of the device. This is in contrast to the typical monowheels and their long history, where the rider sits inside the wheel.
By moving the wheel's center of gravity forward, the wheel turns. Inside is a lead-weighted engine, which hangs by bearings off a stationary center shaft and uses its torque to move from 0 degrees vertical when stationary to 90 degrees forward at full blast, continually pulling itself forward around a sprocket bolted to the outer spokes. An independent counterweight system keeps the driver floating gently above ground out front, instead of inside the wheel, where most monowheel designs sequester him. Steering is handled by a gyro system and the driver's shifting weight.