U3-X

Move over Segway (P.U.M.A.), here comes the next generation of compact personal movers, the U3-X from Honda. Looking like a very modern unicycle, you simply place your body weight in the direction you would like to go, even sideways. The single wheel on the U3-X is made up of many tiny motor-controlled wheels, packed inside the bigger wheel, allowing the device to swerve in any direction. Topping out at a top speed of 3.7 mph, Honda hopes one day, the small, safe and unobtrusive device will be zipping up and down streets and even indoors. The U3-X weighs in at under 22 lbs, runs on a fully charged lithium-ion battery for an hour, and requires a minimum height of 5 ft to operate. (Wait a minute, how about maximum weight or how wide someone's a**...oh never mind)

Video showing the workings of the uni-wheel plus a demo, below.


There are currently no plans for marketing the device but Honda plans to debut the U3-X at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009. (BTW the man demonstrating the device in the pictures is the Honda President Takanobu).

sidebar : the sitting/operating position looks awkward!

PH •