More tech visions of future from NextFest

Here's a future spin on the Big Wheel. Netherlands-based Wheelsurf is offering its eponymous personal recreation vehicle, a single-wheel scooter that takes some skill to drive but doesn't take a driver's license. It's not designed to drive on public roads with other cars, according to the company.

The Wheelsurf is made to ride on pavement, grass or other dense surfaces, out of the way of other vehicles. It has a gas-powered Honda GX31 engine much like a Jet Ski's, with 1.5 horsepower and 7000rpm. The vehicle takes regular gas and can last about two hours on a full tank. The company recommends keeping speeds below 30 kilometers per hour and wearing a helmet. Spills are not unusual when learning to drive this rig.

To be sure, many other single-wheeled vehicles have been invented, but Wheelsurf says its vehicle is the first commercially available. Sold at the company's Web site, the product is priced at about $6900, not including shipping fees.