Onewheel skateboard is the self-propelled future of transport

Imagine skateboarding along without taking your feet off the board, while seemingly floating above the ground. That's what Kickstarter project Onewheel, which was launched at CES, aims to offer. And it's for everyone, including non-skaters.

Before you judge this board by its base, this thing is powerful. Onewheel is driven by a 500W direct drive brushless motor in the hub of that wheel Batman would be proud to ride. That's as much power as many electric bikes manage to eek out, all through one wheel.

So how can you move forward without controls or removing your feet? Like a Segway the Onewheel uses clever gyroscopics to detect your lean and responds by delivering power. Lean forward: go forward, simple - brilliant.

The Onewheel makers say this is easy to ride so even if you've never been on a board of any kind before you'll pick this up right away. And once you do you'll be flying along at 12mph. Thanks to the 48V lithium battery you should be able to keep going for between four and six miles depending on the terrain. Then you'll need to carry the 11kg or hope the remaining journey is downhill.

The Onewheel has already hit its Kickstarter target and sold out of the early $1200 price. There are a few left at $1300 at the time this article was published. Check back for our review once we get a unit in the UK for testing.