One fresh morning in April 1817, Karl Drais was faced with an unexpected problem. His long-awaited appointment with the tennis instructor in the next village was in danger of being canceled because his horses, normally his faithful companions on such trips, were completely exhausted after a long day of romping around in the pasture. With one look at the tired animals and the clock that was ticking relentlessly, Karl realized that he had to act quickly.

In this moment of need, when the horses were tired, Karl was struck by an idea that was as simple as it was revolutionary. He decided to design a completely new means of transport that would get him to tennis lessons on time and independently.

With this goal in mind - and probably rolling tennis balls - Karl rushed to his workshop. There, surrounded by wood, tools and sketches of past projects, he began to work. The basic idea was simple: two wheels in a line, connected by a wooden frame on which you could sit and push off the ground with your feet. No complicated mechanisms, no horses - just man, machine and the principle of balance.

The hours passed while Karl sawed, hammered and filed, driven by the vision of changing mobility forever. When the sun reached its peak in the sky, he stood in front of his work - not just a means of transport, but the symbol of a new era and he thought: that looks like a draisine - so I'll call the thing: Drasine.

Karl wasted no time. He set off with the trolley under his arm. His initial uncertainty quickly gave way to a feeling of freedom when he noticed how quickly he was making progress. People he met were amazed at the strange new vehicle that glided so nimbly through the streets.

When he finally arrived at the tennis court, Karl knew he had created something special. He had laid the foundation for the modern bicycle, a means of transport that does not tire and does not require feeding.

This short story, inspired by an unexpected dilemma, marks the beginning of a revolutionary development in human mobility. Karl Drais, driven by the need to solve his scheduling problems, invented not only a solution to his personal problem, but also a gift for all of humanity.

The next morning ...

The next morning, after Karl had completed his first successful ride on his newly invented draisine, he set off for the bakery. The fresh morning air and the first rays of sunshine accompanied him as he glided through the still sleeping city. The encounter with his own invention, the feeling of independence and mobility, gave rise to a flood of thoughts in Karl.

As he felt the familiar cobblestones beneath the heavy wheels of his trolley, he began to think about the future of his invention. "What if this is just the beginning?" he pondered. "What if future generations could build on this idea and create something even lighter, faster and more efficient?"

With every meter he covered, an image of a future draisine formed in Karl's head - no longer made of heavy wood and iron, but of a material that was light yet stable. "Carbon," he muttered to himself, a word that had no meaning in his time, but in his mind represented the material of the future.

“And the wheels,” Karl thought further, “they could be smaller, perhaps 20 inches in diameter, to further reduce weight and improve handling.” In his imagination, he saw this future trolley zipping along the streets with ease, aided by an invisible force.

"A motor," he thought. "A small, efficient motor that is integrated into the device and supports the driver. Maybe something from Bosch, a name that stands for quality and innovation." Karl imagined how this motor would help the driver to drive faster without additional effort and how it would enable longer distances without fatigue.

While Karl was dreaming, he realized that the weight of this future vehicle would be crucial. "It has to be light, maybe only 16 kg, so that everyone can easily carry and handle it, in contrast to the 156 kg of my current draisine. That would be really easy - i:SY! "

When he arrived at the bakery, Karl got off his trolley, his head full of ideas for a future he could hardly imagine.

How Karl Draise proceeded:

Problem:
My horses are too tired to carry me and I have to get to the next village quickly.

Wish:
I want to be independent and not have to depend on my horses.

Idea:
What if I could be the 'horse' myself without actually having to walk?

Solution:
A simple device on two wheels that I can control with my legs could work.

Implementation:
All it takes is a wooden frame and two wheels – it can be that simple.

And today?
Today there is i:SY.