Get On Board 11 New Types Of Personal Transportation

Everyone knows of bikes, skateboards, golf carts, sit-on scooters, electric scooters and skates. But, those aren’t the only options for personal transportation. Check out these trendy products that are gaining in popularity.

1. Trikke Scooter

A Trikke Scooter combines scooter and skate. It is propelled by the rider making a side-to-side motion, causing the two rear wheels to swing. The scooter then is able to move. You can steer it by angling your body and wheels toward the direction you want to head. While not as practical as a bike, it is a heck of a lot more fun.

2. Velomobile

Velomobile bike is a horizontal, three-wheel bike stuck in plastic. The outer shell protects the rider from the harsh elements of rain, snow and hail while also cutting down on the amount of bugs in the teeth. Some recent models have storage, making it semi-functional in getting groceries and performing errands.

3. Segway

Segway transportation is a scooter for adults. You may have noticed mall and school security cops feverishly perched upon these units, patrolling the hallways and keeping pedestrians safe (or at the very least, entertained). The typical machine can go as fast as 12.5 mph and distances of 24 miles on a single charge. Can’t go up stairs.

4. Hovercraft

Thomas Philipp

Hovercraft machines have been around a while, but they are still cool. You can build one with wood, fiberglass, vinyl/rubber, a vacuum and a couple of leaf blowers. Air pressure is created underneath a platform through an electric/gas motor. This creates a cushion of air underneath the craft, which is just enough to give it liftoff. Then by using another motor, the craft can be steered across anything from snow, sand, asphalt or even water. This is not quite the same as the hovercrafts depicted in movies, where the magnetic field of the earth is utilized to counteract the effects of gravity. They could be coming.

5. Magic Wheel

The Magic Wheel bike is a combination of skateboards, unicycles and in-line skates. Because it primarily consists of one medium and one small-sized wheel, it is surprisingly compact and agile, approximately the size of a briefcase, and weighing just over 14 pounds. It's easy to learn and carry.

6. AquaSkipper

If you live in an area with a lot of rivers or lakes, such as Minnesota, you might want to get your hands on an AquaSkipper water craft. Instead of traveling through the water like a boat, it skims across it. In essence, the device is a form of human powered hydrofoil, which is propelled by hopping up and down on a platform situated over top a large fin. The hopping motion causes the fin to rock back and forth in a waving motion similar to the effect of the dorsal fin of a dolphin when they perform tricks, such as skidding across the water’s surface. Once you get up to a state of inertia, speeds of up to 17 mph are possible; but when you are tired, the product will sink.

7. Hot-Rod Chair

The hot rod recliner is a vehicle built out of La-Z-Boy chair. The design consisted of four wheels attached to a recliner chair chassis with the addition of an 8-horsepower lawnmower engine, stereo system, headlights, cup holder, NOS bottle (non-functional) and custom blue flame paint job.

8. Treadmill Bike

Scott Ferrede

The treadmill bike works by using a treadmill platform across a bike frame at a slight angle and connected to the rear wheel. When the treadmill is either walked or ran upon, it sends power to the rear wheel, thus moving it forward. The manufacturer claims it “protects your feet from dirt and other contaminants commonly found on the earth’s surface.”

9. Kiteboarding

Kiteboarding is an extreme sport accomplished on either land or water, depending on whether you use a surfboard or a skateboard. The idea works by mixing the adrenaline rush of land/water surfing with the childhood dream of flying. A kiteboard may be fast and relatively efficient, but it is unfortunately completely reliant on the force of the wind to give it motion.

10. Powerisers

Poweriser is a system of spring-loaded stilts, which when appropriately applied by a person become a bionic extension your legs. This allows the wearer to run at superhuman speeds, and leap over small children and medium-sized dogs in a single bound. Of course, any time you mix high pressure springs with the frailty of the human body; you are also talking about extreme danger and pain.

11. Self-Balancing Scooters

eVoy Smart Technologies makes self-balancing scooters, which are two wheels on a skateboard platform. In essence, you have a two-wheeled skateboard or a hands-free Segway machine. Each device comes with eVoy Smart Technologies self balancing systems for added balance and usability, Samsung/LG Lithium Battery for extending the amount of time you can cruise around town, waterproof casing for worry free rideability, and our durable Magnetic Levitation motors. Riders are able to travel 12-14 miles and can fully recharge their eVoy within 60-120 minutes.