We all love to show off our skiing skills in the gorgeous ice covered peaks of the Alps, but rarely do we get time to make that a dream into a reality. However, Nissan, one of the largest automobile manufacturing companies in the world, in collaboration with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology have come up with an ingenious way of letting people enjoy the fun of skiing right in the streets.

The all new Segway, is a highly innovative motorized ski contraption, that fits nicely in your feet and gives you the control to move it whichever way you feel like. This personal mobility device is one of a kind and can reach a maximum speed of 5 Km/hr. There are two foot rests above mounted above the wheels with two elongated handles, that are used for control and guidance mechanism.

The user can direct this personal mobility device prototype, by shifting his weight or leaning to either side. This makes the mobility device move sideways. However, if your legs fall apart, then you need to lift each leg, as you would do on stilts and guide the Segway to the direction you want it to take. The experience on taking a walk in the Segway, is entirely that of skiing on the mountains. But, the practical applications of this contraption are still debatable.

Via PlasticPals & Gizmodo.

When you have that sudden and strange inspiration to leave behind all the worldly comforts and go trailing across the wild country on your bicycle lugging your trailer behind it, you need to be travelling light just else you’re going to tire away pretty fast. Cycling in extreme weathers can’t be easy if your trailer is too heavy; that’s why you need the smallest possible mobile home.

Paul Elkins entered the Burning Man project which invites designers to create the wildest designs: the wackier, the more creative your design. Paul’s cycle-towed trailer is the wackiest you can get at the moment. This must be the smallest trailer ever (unless the shoemaker made one for his elves)! The trailer has all the necessary equipment; a solar over, a urinal funnel and taking a shower would be easy with the solar water heater. The 100 pound trailer has a wind turbine on top, a hot air collector for a food dehydrator, and pretty much everything else you need in a home away from home.

Paul camped out in the trailer for a week during the Burning Man event. It’s the back of the trailer that’s most impressive; you can see a see-through bubble jutting out where Paul’s head would be when he’s in bed. Why? For stargazing, of course..

Via: TinyhouseDesign/Dvice

We have just discovered “Honda Rickshaw” designed by designer Enoch Morishima. It is a modern high-tech rickshaw that redefines the primitive rickshaws by adding robotic features. What a cool concept it is! Morishima believe that this Honda Rickshaw will dominate the mode of transport in future. It’s too early to assume whether this will be used by people in large numbers.

However, this will definitely reduce congestion on the road and to maintain cleanliness. As of now, the Honda Rickshaw is still a concept. However, the designer sees this as a cheap and efficient public transport particularly for downtown areas in Malaysia. The Honda Rickshaw has almost all the basic features that an ordinary rickshaw has. However, the distinctive feature of this rickshaw is the robot, which is capable of interacting with the passengers.

The pod is pulled by the robot. It’s quite cool that the pod can be detached from the rickshaw and attached it to another vehicle. This is indeed an interesting design. People should invent more such things for better transport. There is no further information given for its price tag just yet.

Via: Coroflot

Most everyone wanted to have their very own awesome flying machine (preferably made in their own backyard) when they were kids. What is uncommon is someone who actually follows through with their childhood dream to one day build their very own lean mean flying machine.

Wu Zhongyuan had always dreamt of owning his very own chopper. As a kid, he wanted nothing better than to fly to school in his chopper instead of having to climb the mountain. Wu got his wish but at 20 years of age, he probably isn’t going to be flying this to any school. Wu, a farmer from Luoyang, China, has built a wooden chopper on his own. According to the man, he did it based only on his middle school physics knowledge and resources he found on the internet (I tried visiting how-to-build-your-own-chopper.com but the site wouldn’t work for me). What’s more, the whole thing cost him barely $1,600.

The blades of the chopper are made from elm wood and the framework is fortified with steel pipes. Powering the chopper is an engine from a motorcycle. Wu says the chopper can reach 2,600ft but unfortunately the Chinese government has forbidden him from flying it. Now that sucks!

Via: Geekologie/Ananova

If you really want to try something unconventional, Waterwalkers would make up for a perfect choice. The concept is much similar to the Zorb Sport, but the fact it has to be done on water surface makes it extremely challenging. Once you’ve stepped inside the ball, it rotates continuously, thereby putting every muscle in your body to work. The makers claim that spending even 5 minutes inside this inflated plastic ball would be parallel to a good workout session.

Before the air inside the ball runs out, one can walk for as much as 30 minutes. Thermoplastic polyurethanes are used which make the balls extremely sturdy. The makers provide with repair patches to deal with instances of punctures. Even though specifications suggest a weight limit of 90 kgs or 200lbs, the ball has been used by people with 250lbs weight with no issues at all.

Unlike Zorb balls, Waterwalkerz are meant for indoor use. You just need a 25 metre pool that can accommodate 5 or more such balls and a few friends to indulge in the goodness of this innovative sport. Do check out the video after the jump that gives you a feel of what would Zorbing mean, not on slopes this time, but on water.

Check the video here:

Waterwalkers are available for $710 each including delivery to US and for the Brit buyers, the price is UKP£450. This price doesn’t include the blowers, they are to be bought separately for $199/ UKP£99. Although not bizarre, the company has wittily drawn inspiration from Zorb balls and hatched something interesting.

Via GagdetGrid

If you are tired of seeing your kids wasting their time in front of the computer playing video games then, perhaps you must do something to break the hum-drum. You can take a look at The Dareway. It’s a four-wheeled Segway Knockoff for kids ideally who are five and above. This will be a good to start for them to also learn how to drive vehicles despite pulling them away from their computer tables.

They can do all sort of stunts – move forwards, backwards and even spin in circles. This may also sound a little dangerous as nothing about its safety is clearly mentioned. A seatbelt should perhaps be a good idea to have it compulsorily as kids can also often go wild while they are at play.

Nevertheless, it’s a good break for the kids. After all, what’s life without any fun and scary stunts? Just make sure that an adult is present while the kids play. The Dareway is powered by a rechargeable 12V battery, which can spin up to 360 degrees. It uses foot accelerator and thumb operated directional buttons. The Dareway is available $220.

Via: CrunchGear

Sometimes, the quest for respect makes people move mountains. Or simply build something special for that sense of achievement. Sometimes, it could emerge from a secret attic too! From Ryazan, 120 miles south-east of Moscow. Mikhail Pushkov did that.

Fed up of the suffocating Leonid Brezhnev’s regime in Russia (USSR then), Puchkov secretly built a personal submarine, the smallest, in his pursuit for respect. His family did not like it. He was barely 20 then. His first submarine, tested in 1984, sank. Over three years later, he got his submarine to dive and surface. Hard work.

He enjoyed his nocturnal submarine rides on local rivers through the years and in 1994, he decided to move to the sea on a secret cruise.

So far, the inventor has done many trips between Helsinki and St Petersburg that are 100 miles apart on Gulf of Finland’s coast. His machine plunges 30 feet deep and sails 100 miles a day on the fibre-glass made machine. Puchkov spent 20 years trying to make his submarine dream legal. And kept improving on it.

He still carries a paddle just in case. Although popular at St Petersburg, most people do not know where he lives. The machine, is officially registered as a boat.

Via:  Likecool, Inventorspot

It’s no longer biking. Or bicycling that takes eons to reach your place. A new sport Whiking has emerged with the green transport dream.

This sport combines the thrill of bicycling on the road (rather tricycling) and sailing on water. With a Whike, you would sail on the road instead! It has no batteries, no engines to propel it.

You only need to be lucky with the wind so you could travel large distances easier. Riders of Whiking could `fly’ on roads at 40-50 kilometers an hour.

The vehicle, is actually a tricycle attached with a 1.6 meter sail. It can ride on routes meant for bikes as well as normal roads. While the novelty factor with a Whike alone gives sportspersons their share of excitement, it proves an excellent alternative to petrol driven bikes, cars and even public transport.

The machine was tested by Olympian sailor Mischa Heemskerk recently. He said Whike’s real thrill was when the wind pushed it forward, and that overtaking a petrol driven scooter at 50 kms an hour, gave a high. You may not perch yourself on a Whike the way you do with a bicycle though. The rider must lean back and pedal forward. So here’s to a new sport, and possible green transport! A Whike could cost you 3000 euros.

Via: besportier

Aerophobia is the fear of flying and even though more people die in road accidents every year than in flying accidents, many people still have a strong fear of flying. You can always tell who it is when you’re in a plane and there is a guy who is blindfolded and whispering, “Are we there yet?”

After centuries of research, which began a few decades before the first plane was invented, scientists have now hit upon the perfect cure for this particular phobia. The results of the research show that 99.13% of the research subjects now have no fear of stepping inside a plane, and this miraculous cure is all thanks to a plane that promises not to get off the ground. This Boeing 747 jumbo jet will pamper you to the hilt and not a drop of sweat will form on your brow at the thought that the plane may take off while you are relaxed and promptly crash into a flock of happy geese. The Jumbo Hostel caters to the phobia-struck customers and those who pretend to be, merely to experiences the pleasures of this on-ground flight. The Jumbo Hostel has 25 luxuriously rooms; each room is 65ft and the craft has a reception area, cafe, and toilets and showers. A conference room is included for the shrinks who wish to further discuss the ‘research’.

The room highest in demand is situated, obviously, in the cockpit and is remade as a wedding suite. Jumbo Hostel will stay ready for take-off at the Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. Perhaps, they stopped there to refuel and decided to ‘go green’.

Via: Funtasticus

One of the toughest jobs on earth belongs to pilots. Not merely the risk involved, but passenger safety, weather, turbulence, engine and wing safety.

Ever dreamt of an aircraft that can fold its wings? An airplane that flies while in sky and moves while on road like other vehicles! Terrafugia’s The Transition, a sport aircraft design has achieved just that.

It means that at the click of a button from his cockpit, a pilot can stow away his aircraft wings while s/he is driving on the road! And use the wings when there is need to fly. It is a sports aircraft, and folds its wings on the road.

The very thought that has gone in behind the design is innovative. Its utility furthers the vision. While on road, the aircraft, without its wings may look like a car-spaceship that’s strayed on to the surface. In effect, it lives up to its name – The Transition. Futuristic in design and combining the elements of a car and plane. Only wish something of this nature could be done for bigger planes carrying passengers too!

 Via: Terrafugia, Tuvie