This concept painting of a "mono-scoot" personal transportation device was done by Richard H. Arbib in 1965. It is featured in the excellent book Driving Through Futures Past by the Petersen Automotive Museum.
See also:
No One Will Walk - All Will Have Wheels (1900)
Gyroscopic Rocket Car (1945)
Cars Detroit Forgot to Build (1950-1960)
11 comments:
I have to say, there's a lot of charm in those scooter designs. I just wonder if it would actually work.
That reminds me of a scooter I saw just a few days ago, like the ones pictured in this article:
http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2007/07/new_scooters_for_hoboken_cops.html
Hmmm. Looks like a Segway.
To combine comments 1 and 3 -- too bad the Segway wasn't designed to be like this, I think it would have been more successful. I think a lot of people are turned off by the Segway's pgo-stick like appearance (however stable it may be in practice), and I recall when it came out seeing a number of comments about how it wasn't exactly feasible for inclement weather.
What, no cup holders?
I believe that a fully-enclosed cabin would make this a viable alternative for personal transportation these days. I'd essentially have no problem at all using one of these to take me to work every day. I'd just pray that I didn't get in a wreck with a Hummer or something!!
In case that link I posted didn't work, here's a shortened URL:
http://tinyurl.com/6jgao7
These look very similar, though you could do just as well with a bicycle. The company that makes them is called T3 motion but it looks like they only sell their scooters to police departments and security companies and stuff like that.
http://www.t3motion.com/
It looks as if the thing doesn't have a fully-enclosed cabin--just a full-height shield in the front. It's open in the back.
This design is so cool it makes me want to shout "Outta my way bitches - I'm Moto-Scooting!"...hits curb and does a faceplant.
I hope that's a shatter-proof Lexan shield in the front.
I agree partially with Matt: It looks like a marginally less uncool Segway.
Matt's right -- it's a Segway with a windshield. But cooler looking. I want one!
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