Who Needs Walking When Honda’s ‘Personal Mobility Device’ Exists?

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Walking! It takes so much effort, lifting one foot after the other. That’s why the good people of Honda have developed the Uni-Cub.

Think of it as a Segway but smaller, perfect for navigating the halls of your office or moving from the couch to the refrigerator to grab a hoagie. Using balancing technology developed from Honda’s ASIMO robot, Uni-Cub can move forward, backward, diagonally and side-to-side simply by responding to the driver shifting his or her weight.

With estimates that the obesity rate could hit 42% in the United States by 2030, perhaps this is not the time to introduce a new alternative to walking. Not that it doesn’t look cool; if I were a lazy millionaire, I’d probably buy myself a Uni-Cub or two.

I kid, of course, about this only being for people who don’t want to leave the embrace of their recliner. This could be extremely useful for people with injuries or disabilities as well.

Still, it’s scary to imagine a world where people roll down the street to Taco Bell for some Doritos Tacos Locos or KFC for a hot Double Down sandwich. Honda plans to start testing the product with Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation next month.

[via PhysOrg]

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