14 DAY TRIAL // Almost all office chairs have wheels and rotating seats nowadays, but it's one thing to be able to push yourself around with your feet and another to be able to actually drive from one place to another. That's what Honda wanted.
And since Honda is so good at making cars, it applied the principle to that of the office chair, although the result doesn't look so much as a chair as it does a unicycle.
Then again, the base of the chair does have some bulk to it, so if you say it can't really be called a unicycle, we'll admit it's debatable enough to agree to disagree.
Either way, the UNI-CUB, or rather UNI-CUB Beta, might be just the thing you need to quickly run around your floor and coordinate with your underlings and fellow staff member.
The UNI-CUB Beta
The “Beta” in the name is an all too true attribute. In fact, you won't be able to find the UNI-CUB up for sale anywhere, no matter how hard you look.
While Honda did allow a few people to sit down and ride on it at CEATEC, that was the full extent of its generosity. Unless some new trade show hosts the product, you won't see it within reach again (literally or figuratively) until the “Beta” is gone from the name.
The UNI-CUB has a speed of 6 kmph / 3.72 mph and a range of 6 km / 3.72 m. That is to say, the battery inside will last for that distance.
The seat isn't adjustable, unfortunately. The first prototype, revealed last November, did have an adjustable seat, but was also taller and heavier than this one.
The footrests, meanwhile, double as support stands. You don't need to expend unnecessary effort to hold the feet off the ground when “driving” to another spot, but when you do get off and park the chair, you only need to pull up the lever beneath the back of the seat to flip the footrests in stand mode.
In turn, sitting down and pushing the lever back down will restore the footrests to their “rightful” state.
Availability
It's hard to say when these devices will be released for general use. Surely Honda will demand a significant price for each, compared to normal office chairs, but given the benefits that's understandable.
Sure, they will be useless to small and medium businesses which don't have large enough office buildings, but the UNI-CUB could prove a godsend for large corporations where it can take minutes to get from one part of the floor to the other. Not having to be constantly on your feet and go home with aches in your soles and ankles will be cool too.
