Shane Chen, the inventor of the popular “two-wheel, self-balancing rideable” (AKA, hoverboard), has a new deathtrap on the market: the Hoverwheel.
But not everyone is happy about his first invention — and we’re not talking about parents saddled with their kids’ hoverboard-related hospital bills.
2 wheels, one lawsuit
In 2013, Chen filed a patent for “self-balancing vehicle” on behalf of his company Inventist. But since 2015, The Verge reports, Inventist has been in the midst of a legal battle with lean-n-scoot OG, Segway.
Segway claims that Inventist infringed on their patent for “balancing vehicles” and leapfrogged on their technology either knowingly or “with willful blindness.” In the meantime, Inventist has fought off its own rivals like fellow hoverboard-maker Swagway.
When in doubt, skate it out
But, perhaps in another example of “willful blindness,” Inventist has added insult to injury with their latest product.
This new hover-transport is a freewheeling take on their old classic, featuring separate, motorized skates… and it looks an awful lot like Segway’s attempt at ‘e-skates’.
