I love how personal Segway-like machines are heralded as “green” cos they don’t use much power to cart your lazy ass around. You know what’s more green than lithium ion batteries and solar panels? Walking, u lazy fuck! Take that retarded bike helmet off your head, get off the self-powered walker/scooter/unicycle and take part in the most ecological transportation around — your feet!

But because offices are getting too vast to walk across, and boardwalks and promenades just too long to traverse with your legs, Honda unveiled its new U3-X at the Tokyo Motor Show. A self-balancing portable unicycle based on Honda’s biped ASIMO robot technology, the U3-X can race you to the other side of the corporate park at a blazing top speed of 3.7 mph. That’s almost the speed of a casual amble! The U3-X can essentially move in any direction, based on how the user shifts their weight. Lean forward to move forward, lean back to go back. So much simpler than leaning forward to walk forward, or leaning right to move right.

My favorite line comes from Honda President Takanobu Ito at the unicycle’s release: “And if my legs get a little weak, I would like to have one of these around the house.” Yes, who wouldn’t like a machine that moves you about when your legs get a little weak.

Tell you what, if you ever really feel the need to get a unicycle, I think this thing is easily the way to go…Wheeeee!!!

Some detail shots and a more elaborate 10-minute video (plus a really wacky Japanese one) if you really need to know more about the U3-X, after the Jump…