Hampshire-made ball bike becomes YouTube sensation

A robotics expert who created a bike without conventional wheels has seen his invention clock up millions of views on YouTube.

James Bruton, who builds all of his inventions in a secret location in Hampshire, used to work in IT and was a toy maker before switching to being a “full-time internet creator”.

The balls, used instead of wheels, on his omnidirectional battery-powered bike are the same type as used by circus acrobats and are self-balancing.

Mr Bruton said his drive was to “make videos that people want to click on”.

Mr Bruton used 11 3D printers in his spare room to help make components for his bicycle.

“We’ve got some balls which are about 2ft (60cm) in diameter, and they’re driven by omni wheels.

“I had to order the balls which took a few months to arrive from the Netherlands and the motors came from the USA, but if I had the parts in one go, I could probably make the bike again in two to three weeks.”

He charted his progress in building the bike on YouTube, demonstrating its use although the spherical wheels did come off as the velocity increased.

“Something like this is not a practical form of transport in any way but it’s had eight million views on YouTube, so it’s done rather well,” he said.

He said his next project would be a “handstand cheat device”.

“It’s basically high-powered fans on my ankles that blow me upright – just light a balancing bike but I’ll be upside down.”

Mr Bruton has over a million subscribers on YouTube and said he been inventing ever since he was a child.