The Monocycle From Men In Black III Is Real
While Men in Black III wound up being better than we expected, there were a lot of red flags leading up to the release. Aside from the simple fact of it being a sequel to a franchise that hadn’t had a new installment in a decade, there was also the issue that some of the effects looked…less than polished. We’re specifically talking about the monowheel footage seen here. Whether the finished film’s monowheel-chase looked more convincing than that (I haven’t seen the movie yet), one thing is certain: the idea of a monowheel is kind of awesome. And it’s even more awesome because, apparently, monowheels are real.
That footage is of the so-called “Wheelsurf,” which is basically Men in Black‘s monowheel only about 75% less awesome. Still, 25% of a really awesome concept is still pretty awesome, and while you probably don’t want to go screaming through (and over) city traffic at ninety miles an hour on the Wheelsurf, it still looks like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it isn’t street legal, so the local authorities may have some words for you if you take one out in public. And perhaps more unfortunately, it’ll cost you $13,000. But hey, if you’ve got lots of disposable income, and a large, unpoliced stretch of asphalt, have at it.
Here’s the official description of how the Wheelsurf works, because my explanation would consist of the words, “It’s magic.”
The Wheelsurf consists of an inner and an outer frame. The inner frame has three small wheels that make contact with the outer frame. The outer frame is the actual rotating wheel and has a solid rubber tire. The rider sits inside the inner frame that also contains the engine, drive train and petrol tank.
The Wheelsurf is steered by shifting your weight. Although it has a hand brake, braking is limited to the counterbalance you can provide by leaning backwards. If you brake too hard, you will start spinning with the outer wheel. Which of course is exciting…
The Wheelsurf is not allowed on public roads in most countries. It is meant as a form of extravagant entertainment, as an exciting ride, or to enhance your commercial presentation. You will be sure to be in the middle of attention, while surfing your Wheel!
Story via GeekAlerts
