Weird Japan
Japan, I think we can all admit, is often a weird place. Robots, giant lizards, odd comic books, that sort of thing.
But every now and then, they're both weird and cool:
A Segway, essentially, steered by the muscles in the posterior. You just kind of squirm your way along, if you get my meaning. From Yahoo! Autos:
No automaker keeps quite as many strange side projects afloat as Honda, which has everything from jet planes to walking robots underway in its engineering studios. On Tuesday, Honda revealed its plans for another company invention, a rolling stool it now calls the Uni-Cub which users steer by the seat of their pants. One can only hope for a racing version.
Designed to mimic the speed and height of walking, the Uni-Cub's lithium batteries power a trick wheel that can move any direction. Using sensors on the seats, riders simply shift their weight in the direction they wish to travel -- there's also a smartphone control app -- and the unit rides high so that the riders have eye contact with people not cool enough to glide around the office up to 3.7 miles on a charge.
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Dec '11
Re: Weird Japan
I think there are a variety of returning veterans that could use that kind of technology.
Nov '10
Re: Weird Japan
Marvelous: like the Segway, a complex and clever technical solution to something that wasn't a problem. Maybe the exercise in technological convergence that makes this possible will point the way toward solving some real problem. Which, admittedly, is sort of like the "spinoff" argument for spaceflight, without the cumbersome inconvenience of an actual space program. But that makes it even more noble, in a bizarre sort of way: it's pure spinoff!
Apr '12
Re: Weird Japan
The models look so slim, will they have a super size version and will the mayor of New York allow this to be sold in NY?
Jun '12
Re: Weird Japan
The technology is innovative, but my takeaway is that it's just too complicated to be practical. It's basically a battery powered self balancing unicycle. What happens when the juice runs out?
Mar '11
Re: Weird Japan
I'm worried that their arms will get tired while carrying all that stuff! Can't Honda do something to eliminate this unnecessary physical exertion?
Mar '11
Re: Weird Japan
This would be perfect for anal-retenetive folks.
May '11
Re: Weird Japan
It's the "Butt-Bot"!
May '11
Re: Weird Japan
I doubt the elderly would have the balance to use.
The optimal user might be a young amputee who finds his prosthetic leg too uncomfortable for long walks. However he has good balance and the ability to easily mount and dismount. Perhaps, he also is missing partial function in one hand so that a conventional wheelchair is not an option. Unfortunately, we are producing customers at a volume that might make this viable.
May '11
Re: Weird Japan
Propelling this vehicle by squirming reminds of an old joke. This fellow goes to the doctor who recommends a sure-fire weight loss regimen. No oral food is allowed, only rectal feedings. So the guy comes back and he has lost a lot weight but he seems to be fidgeting nervously. The doctor asks him what's wrong and he replies "Nothing's wrong, I'm just chewing gum." Actually this joke makes a good game for a cocktail party if you can get each person to try and tell it. The attempts to mimic chewing gum with your butt is pretty funny.
Nov '10
Re: Weird Japan
YEah, but here we'd all have to be wearing helmets. The segway was at least margionally cool looking until the bike helmet was required. Nothing makes a mall cop less imposing than standing on a segway, wearing a big plastic hat.