Japan's answer to the Segway? Meet the Sweeper

The System Sensing and Control Lab at Hokkaido University has come up with the Sweeper, a broomlike gadget that they envisage as an alternative to the bicycle (like the bicycle, unfortunately, it doesn't fly). It's basically a pole attached to a wheel-and-motor arrangement that'll drive you forward at 10 km/h provided you remember to put on some skates first. Speed is controlled by the angle of the pole, and it'll run for about 30 minutes on a single charge. We're sure we've seen one of these before somewhere, though. (MPEG video of the Sweeper in action here)