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It's a common problem: you're comfily propping up the bar on your favourite stool, several pints worse for wear. You realise you need to visit the, er, restroom. But - and here's the kicker - you've forgotten how to use your legs. Disaster!
Honda feels your pain, and has just unveiled the U3-X, a bar-stool-meets-unicycle personal mobility device that will allow you and your non-functioning legs to glide to the bathroom in all-electric ease.
A smaller, more compact take on personal transport than Toyota's iReal, the Segway or, heaven forbid, that terrible GM Puma contraption, the U3-X will scoot you around the office/high street/future at a whopping 4mph, changing course as you lean in the desired direction.
It's powered by a lithium ion battery that, says Honda, provides around an hour of eerily quiet transportation on a single charge.
Honda describes the U3-X as ‘a compact experimental device to provide free movement in all directions... just like human walking'. Which does beg the question: assuming you're able of limb, what exactly is wrong with walking? It's served us humans pretty well for a few thousand years, after all.
Honda has also released a short video of the U3-X in action. It doesn't look exactly... comfortable, does it?
What do you think, TopGeareans? The future of urban transportation? Or simply an uncomfortable and unstable take on, y'know... the chair?
Are you sitting comfortably?
Honda unveils futuristic take on the barstool. Watch out, Segway…
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What do you think?
Want to comment on this?
AshHorne commented on this article
at 03:22 pm on 25 September 2009
Wouldn't this technically be drink-driving? I have a lot of friends that I would definitely not trust with the controls to one of those things!
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Afaque commented on this article
at 04:06 pm on 25 September 2009
It looks mad fun though!!! Only if it moved a lot faster than in the video...
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azfelix commented on this article
at 04:18 pm on 25 September 2009
Having seen the complications engineered into their lavatory apparati, one wonders what sort of antiseptic, automated, electronic protruberence keeps the rider anchored to his or her seat. The Ford Probe reincarnated in a bad way!
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Mikeado commented on this article
at 04:40 pm on 25 September 2009
That seat looks like the kind you shiffle around on a lot before you're comfortable, and there's thus a risk of slipping off, especially if you have to lean forward. I'd prefer the Toyota Electric Wheelchair to this Honda Electric Unicycle.
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Takk commented on this article
at 04:46 pm on 25 September 2009
@azfelix: ask mr. Garrison about that and you'll know. Season 5 episode 11. It still beats flying. About this thing: I think that when I'm drunk I do NOT want to drive this. I'd never make it to the china.
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