Also, from a techie website: "The Honda U3-X weighs about 22 pounds and is said to run for an hour on each charge."

I really can't see where the hell this would be useful outside the world of children's toys.

I think this is pretty cool. I could totally see myself scooting round an office or lab on one.

The nice thing about it is it doesn't take up a lot of space, maybe it could even replace wheelchairs one day if the run-time can be upped.

this is probably partially intended for japan's increasingly elderly population.

Don't get me wrong. If nothing else, the technology behind it IS really impressive, and if someone offered me one of these, I'd gladly take it and play around with it.

Since I run a kitchen, I don't see much use for it there, and even if they doubled the battery life it still seems more like a cool toy to me than anything else.

The only problem I see with using one as something like a wheelchair or for the elderly is that you'd probably be screwed if you did fall off it.

This is not going to replace wheelchairs. If a wheelchair fails, it still has the basic structure of a chair and is pretty good at just sitting there. If one of these things fails, you'll be able to hear the hips snap from down the block. Not only this but they didn't even solve the major problem with wheelchairs: going up stairs.

No, what these are for is jousting.

You wouldn't want this silly piece of shit to replace wheelchairs; the wheelchair is superior in every way except the social stigma attached to it.

If you have ever tried navigating the average shop in a wheelchair you will know that it can be one of the most frustrating experiences of your life.

Not only is this thing far smaller and lighter then wheelchairs but it can also travel in directions the common wheelchair can't. Further more it allows you the use of your hands and arms, a major advantage over even mobility scooters.

Lastly it may or may not be harder to fall off one of these then a wheelchair, I don't know. I am guessing however that it would depend on a lot of different factors. I will say that not everyone who uses a wheelchair is incapable of walking short distances nor is everyone an old lady with fragile hips. It is also totally possible to fall backwards and break your head open with a wheelchair.

In conclusion FUCK YOU IGNORANT BITCHES. Never disgrace my internet with your stupidity again.

The utter terror of and contempt for new technology evident in this thread IS pretty amazing.

I don't really think light-hearted criticism equals terror and contempt but I guess your mileage may vary.

I'm all for building a better wheelchair, I just don't believe this device is it. A step in the right direction? Sure. The solution? No.

Just look at it. There's no way grocery shopping with a cart or even a handbasket would be that convienant.

I wonder what this thing is going to cost. A price point was one thing I just couldn't find on it.

The biggest problem with using this as a replacement for a wheelchair is it still requires that the operator has functional legs and a good sense of balance, which are generally the two problems that put people into a wheelchair to begin with.

They will be when using one isn't 50x more awkward than walking.

Seriously. I want to see someone who's more that 5ft tall and over 90lbs on one. And somewhere other than perfectly flat and even floors would be more impressive.

But definitely 5 stars for that omni-wheel shit. That's bound to have some practical applications right now.

They probably both sounded like Michael Wincott