Honda's new idea: Battery-powered unicycles for the elderly

Honda (HMC) is a hotbed of creative thinking when it comes to transportation and mechanics. It makes motorcycles, cars and high-end lawn mowers. Its early Civic was one of the first small Japanese cars distributed widely in the U.S. during the mid-1970s, and was one of the first mass-produced fuel-efficient cars.

Now, the Japanese firm is working on a motorized unicycle, according to several media reports. The rider will be able to steer it by simply leaning in the direction he wants it to move. The U3-X weighs only 22 pounds and runs for up to an hour per charge on an ion-lithium battery. The product is still in the early stages of development.