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Honda Unveils Segway Competitor: the Uni-Cub

It's designed to ride indoors

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted May 16, 2012 4:15 PM CDT | Updated May 19, 2012 1:11 PM CDT

(Newser) – Watch out, Segway, there's a new player in the high-end scooter game. Honda has revealed the Uni-Cub, a personal mobility device that, like the Segway, is driven by shifting one's weight. It "looks like a trash compactor on wheels," reports the Los Angeles Times. (The Wall Street Journal thinks it's more like a "vacuum cleaner with a bicycle saddle mounted on top.") The big difference between the Uni-Cub and the Segway is that the Uni-Cub is compact enough to be used indoors, say at large airports or museums.

When seated on it, the rider is between the eye level of a pedestrian and a person in a chair. "This configuration promotes harmony between the rider and others, letting the rider travel freely and comfortably inside facilities among moving people," Honda said in a statement. The Uni-Cub runs on a lithium-ion battery and can hit a max speed of 4 miles per hour. No word yet on when it'll be available, but testing of the gadget will begin in June.

A photo of a person riding the Uni-Cub.
A photo of a person riding the Uni-Cub.   (world.honda.com)
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A Honda promotional video for the Uni-Cub.   (YouTube)

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 12 comments
save-the-whales
May 21, 2012 3:17 AM CDT
Its going to be one of thoes things people will hate . Who gives way when you see one hurtling down the isle at the shopping centre , watch out little children you might get run over by that ignorant or out of control  rider , if Uni-Cub users are like some of the pushbike riders on the road they will expect to be immune from any rules . Electric wheel chairs have their problems sometimes, I've seen some old codger scooting up the national highway in an electric wheel chair a place where  big Semi's and busses travel  
matteo
May 20, 2012 5:08 AM CDT
how is it that companies like honda invest so much much money and come up with such crap.. i wonder how much they spent designing this toilet with wheels  !
JudHanson
May 19, 2012 7:27 PM CDT
Uh, no. The Segway is much cooler looking. The Uni-cub looks like just a stool with wheels. Back to the drawing board, Honda.
 

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