Ben Gulak

Ben Gulak (born 1989) is a Ukrainian Canadian inventor and entrepreneur best known for creating the Uno, an eco-friendly,[1][2] electric-powered vehicle that bears a resemblance to a motorized unicycle.

[1] He spent much of his childhood making model trains, rockets, and other projects,[1] and was a fan of inventor Nikola Tesla.

[8][10] In ninth grade, he entered a school science fair with a "real simple magnetic car that shot around a track using accelerator coils.

[13] After witnessing major smog pollution caused by heavy use of small motor vehicles,[14] he decided he wanted to create an eco-friendly alternative to submit to a science fair.

[1][2] According to Gulak, "I wanted it to be something small enough to store indoors: you could bring it up to your apartment to plug in and charge, and then you could ride it around on the road.

He was then joined by California-based Canadian robotics expert Trevor Blackwell,[2] and together they refined the Uno's gyro control system so the machine would properly balance and move smoothly.

[9] He put off attending MIT for a year to work on the project,[9] raising funds and moving to Boston to open a small office in Cambridge.

[8][25] At age 22 while at MIT, Gulak partnered with Ryan Fairhead to create the DTV Shredder, an all-terrain vehicle.