Four wheels may be the best way to get around, but it's far from the only way. Here are the ten weirdest alternative forms of ground transportation as selected by Jalopnik readers.
Welcome back to Answers of the Day — our Jalopnik summer feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
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10.) Mondo Spider
Suggested By: Jackie
Why It's Weird: The Mondo Spider hails from Vancouver, British Columbia in America's hat, but had its first public unveiling at the 2006 edition of the Burning Man festival in Nevada. It's about the size of a small car, has eight legs, and according to its website, is capable of killing 20 hippies per minute. It also looks like one of the most creepy things ever when in motion. It can travel at speeds up to "a brisk walk" or four feet per second, for about eight and a half miles on a single charge. I guess if you're into spending weeks in the Black Rock Desert doing whatever it is they do at Burning Man, then a giant mechanical spider is the only way to travel.
Photo credit: Youtube
9.) Toyota iReal
Suggested By: LappingLuke
Why It's Weird: "The future of personal transportation" at first looks like nothing more than a fancy, streamlined wheelchair. The cool bit is its "high speed" mode, where it can hit speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, and lean into corners. That's cool and all, but something's not quite right about Richard Hammond trundling around the streets of Toyota City in Japan at the controls of a pod-person's wheelchair.
Photo credit: Youtube
8.) Rollerman
Suggested By: Baron von Hoonin
Why It's Weird: What do you get when you cross a Frenchman with a rollerblade? Rollerman! Jean Yves Blondeau has constructed a suit with 31 inline skate wheels all over it: on the back, front torso, all major joints, and various other points along the body. He can reach speeds of up to 72 miles per hour, on his chest, going downhill, with nothing more than a helmet and some padding to protect him. At times, he appears to swim down the street, other times he looks like he's on an Olympic luge. Blondeau has been through six generations of suits, refining the system and redesigning it to make it look even more ridiculous.
Photo credit: Youtube
7.) ZIL-2906 Screw Drive
Suggested By: Fordboy357
Why It's Weird: In the post-World War II era, the Russian military experimented with screw-drive vehicles. They built the ZIL-2906 to rescue Cosmonauts after reentry from space. It's an amphibious contraption, and seems to be able to handle many different obstacles with relative ease. The US Army wasn't left out, though; during the Vietnam era, Chrysler tested the Marsh Screw Amphibian. It performed well over water and swamps, but on sand or dry land, its performance was disappointing. After a couple more prototypes, the project was abandoned.
Photo credit: Youtube
6.) Monowheel
Suggested By: Kiwi_Commander
Why It's Weird: The early 20th century saw a number of experiments in powered monowheel vehicles. There were ideas floating around for five-passenger giant versions, though not many came to fruition. Now, a builder by the name of Kerry McLean is carrying the monowheel torch. Most recently he's finished a V8 dragster version, seen on some low-speed tests here. Four wheels good, two wheels bad, one wheel... Horrible?
Photo credit: Youtube
5.) Solowheel
Suggested By: Hipster Kitty
Why It's Weird: Imagine a Segway, but even more ludicrous. The Solowheel does away with that pesky steering control stick and second wheel, and simply asks its rider to stand on a platform that surrounds its one and only wheel. Lean forward to speed up, backwards to brake, and left and right to steer. An inboard gyroscope keeps you off the pavement, and the whole thing folds up for easy foot-based transport. It's the wave of the future!
Photo credit: Youtube
4.) The Tankchair
Suggested By: WOT
Why It's Weird: The tankchair is weird, but awesome. If you're confined to a wheelchair, who says you have to stay on-road? The Tankchair is for exploring places normal wheelchairs wouldn't dare go. Snow, mud, you name it, the Tankchair can probably handle it. It looks bizarre, yet cool. I think it deserves a bit part in the next zombie apocalypse movie. Perhaps the ride of a shotgun-wielding Stephen Hawking.
Photo credit: Youtube
3.) Powered Street Luge
Suggested By: My X-Type...
Why It's Weird: Some of these guys use rockets. Some have little jets strapped down behind their heads. Others have Harley Davidson engines. Some have crossed the 100-mile-per-hour threshold on their backs, mere inches off the ground. This guy, Roland Morrison, has hit over 150 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Here, watch him top out at over 138 miles per hour, and have a hell of a time doing it.
Photo credit: Youtube
2.) Cajun Crawler
Suggested By: Bonhomme7h2
Why It's Weird: The Cajun Crawler can best be described as the unholy offspring of the Mondo Spider from earlier and, yet again, a Segway. It's got a foot platform and handlebars, but instead of wheels it travels on a set of scary precise feet. Over flat, smooth terrain, its rider seems to experience an exceptionally smooth ride, and a maneuverable one too. I still can't get over all those little legs, though. That's a mighty impressive device.
Photo credit: Youtube
1.) Scarpar Power Board
Suggested By: unhcampus
Why It's Weird: Ever want to be Marty McFly? Now you sort of can. This thing appears to be a dual-treaded and powered snowboard. Sounds safe to me. The rider's speed is adjusted by a hand control, and in motion the thing looks a lot more stable than it does stationary. Then again, that might just be the professional crazy Australian on top of it.
Photo credit: Youtube