Read the article. These deaths were caused by safety features that should have been installed but weren’t. Like if an auto manufacturer didn’t put a rev limiter on their cars.
Comment on Every single Onewheel is being recalled after four deaths
LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 11 months ago
Four deaths over two years seems very low… I hope they are applying the same level of scrutiny to cars as they are here.
Psythik@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Eheran@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yes, seems absurd. 4 death at 500’000 units over years, that is less than 1 per 100’000 per year. Cyclists are at that level - over the while population, not just those driving bikes! I would have expected at least 10x that number. Why are they recalling?
bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 months ago
Some crashes occurred due to Onewheel skateboards malfunctioning after being pushed to certain limits. The Onewheel GT, Onewheel Pint X, Onewheel Pint, and Onewheel Plus XR will receive a firmware update that will add a new warning “Haptic Buzz” feedback that riders can feel and hear when the vehicle enters an error state, is low on battery, or is nearing its limits and needs to slow down.
Sounds like there is could be legitimate software errors and if you’re trusting the software to respond to stopping for example, and it doesn’t, then that’s a problem. Adding a warning buzz seems like a bandaid but i guess is better than nothing. Regardless of the death count statistics, if there are bugs in the systems people are relying on which impact safety, that’s not something which we should tolerate being ignored so the manufacturers can save money.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 11 months ago
It’s not really a hardware error so much as ignorant people who can’t judge their current speeds and don’t wear helmets. You have to be creeping up on 20MPH and still in a heavy forward lean for the system to hard fail like that. The article was also written by someone completely ignorant to physics or how onewheels operate. The writer at one point stupidly says they could make the ow slow to a stop or disable the motor but keep the balance function powered on.
GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 11 months ago
You have to be creeping up on 20MPH and still in a heavy forward lean for the system to hard fail like that.
Wait so this particular failure mode occurs if you’re in a forward lean when it approaches its top speed? And as soon as it isn’t able to push hard enough to offset the lean the front dips so that it catches the edge and the rider flips off of it?
If simply exceeding the top speed leads to catastrophic failure, and there’s literally no way to safely engineer in a speed limiter, that’s an inherently dangerous design.
Eheran@lemmy.world 11 months ago
That is correct, of course. But if so, it should be the first thing mentioned.
tsonfeir@lemm.ee 11 months ago
And it’s probable that they were “exceeding limits” and 3/4 didn’t have a helmet.
Natural selection.
thanks_shakey_snake@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
Odd opportunity to speculatively victim blame, but okay.
tsonfeir@lemm.ee 11 months ago
It was pretty clear in the article. Read it.
thanks_shakey_snake@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
It looks to me like the article is about boards malfunctioning.
killeronthecorner@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I guess it depends whether they’ve identified a hardware fault and are preparing for potential litigation, though I’d be surprised as they haven’t disclosed anything so far.
wagoner@infosec.pub 11 months ago
There’s is a design deficiency.
"Some crashes occurred due to Onewheel skateboards malfunctioning after being pushed to certain limits. "
Cars get recalled all the time for faults.