The video: Fancy the mobility of a Segway but don't like standing? Honda's new project, the UNI-Cub, might be right up your alley. At first glance the "personal mobility device" looks like a motorized unicycle — and we've all seen how "easy" it is to ride a unicyle. But Honda says the UNI-Cub is quite nimble, allowing users to maneuver with a large front wheel to control horizontal and forward movement while a smaller rear wheel helps pivot through turns. (Smartphone controls are optional.) The device has a max speed of 3.7 miles per hour, and is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. (Watch a demo below.) Honda hasn't indicated when or even if the UNI-Cub will be available for the public, but the automaker will begin giving demonstrations of the technology in Japan this coming June.
The reaction: "Like the Segway before it, Honda's new UNI-Cub solves a problem that does not exist," says Wayne Cunningham at CNET. It provides able-bodied people a way to "rove around when they could just as well walk." Aside from its "pretty big gee-whiz factor," the UNI-Cub is essentially ushering in a "fat, lazy future" for the first-world elite. Remember Pixar's Wall-E and the large folks who "cruise around on recliners with flat screens while sipping Big Gulps?" says David Wogan at Scientific American. I'll admit that the UNI-Cub could be great for people with injuries or disabilities. But for the rest of us, "it probably does more harm than good in the long run."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.