The Uno: Where science meets art to make a greener, cleaner, cooler world

When Ben Gulak visited China in September 2006, he found himself under a smog-filled sky, unable to see the sun because of overwhelming pollution. Noticing that the majority of citizens were riding small gas-powered scooters and motorbikes and 20,000 new cars are added to Chinese roads daily, Ben decided to design an environmentally-friendly alternative. He wanted to create a compact vehicle that would fit a modern consumer’s aesthetic and functional needs but would also protect the environment. The result: the Uno – an electric motorbike half the size of a common street bike, that moves at city speeds.

"If it doesn’t look cool, no one will use it."

In our society, an innovation’s success relies heavily on marketability – appearance and comfort are crucial. Ben knew that if people didn’t think the Uno looked cool, they wouldn’t use it. So Ben, who thinks of himself as an artist as well as a scientist, began brainstorming, sketching and researching trends in vehicle design. He structured all the Uno’s mechanical and electrical components to fit the constraints of a bike’s aesthetic. The result? An impressive example of interdisciplinary thinking and creative problem-solving.

Selected to Team Canada-ISEF in 2007, Ben picked up the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Award, and a second-place Grand Award at Intel ISEF, the world’s largest pre-university-level celebration of science.

What began as a high school science project has become something much bigger for Ben. He postponed university for a year to concentrate on turning the Uno into a market-ready product. Working with Gowlings – who were thrilled when he showed up, having patented some of his grandfather’s inventions years ago – he has patented numerous aspects of the bike, both artistic and scientific. From design and concept straight through to suspension system, motor set-up, electric control system and software, Ben holds full North American provisional patents that protects his work for two years.

"Not surprisingly, fires are an undesirable feature." He’s still hard at work on some redesign and improvements. The original Uno had a slight flaw: after 30 metres on the road, it caught fire.

He is having H-bridges (the four switching elements around the motor) custom- made in Germany to replace his original handmade versions. This will help the Uno travel faster and longer, and give the rider more control. Details like lights, redundancy and safety features will also be part of the next version of Uno. A little science. A little art. A whole lot of creativity and persistence. And a greener, cleaner, cooler world.