In partnership with 
Overview
This article is part of our series on the 17 most unique things to have come out of Japan. Check out the other 16.
You may not have cut the circus auditions, but, thanks to Japan, your unicycling might still have a future. Honda has cooked up a high-tech unicycle that’s much easier to ride than your regular one-wheeler. The Uni-Cub, as it’s named, hasn’t yet been released for public purchase, but you can get a sneak preview of its potential on OK Go’s ‘I Won’t Let You Down’ video.
Battery-powered and self-stabilising, the vehicle can travel at up to 6 kilometres per hour and move in any direction. At this stage, you must be at least 155 centimetres tall and weigh less than 100 kilograms to ride it. Unlike the rather cumbersome Segway, which never took off as anticipated, the Uni-Cub is made to fit in seamlessly with street life, even in crowded areas. Riders are positioned at eye-level with pedestrians and the slimline design means that it doesn’t take up too much space. Plus there are no handle bars.
“The keyword is pedestrian,” Shinichiro Kobashi, chief engineer of Honda’s smart mobility development division, told the Japan Times. “People are riding on the Uni-Cub but still able to act like pedestrians.”
Honda are also working on refining the Uni-Cub to explore its suitability as a mobility solution for the elderly and the wheelchair dependent.