Think two-wheeled auto-balancing transport is the wave of the future, you Segway-driving nerd? Well, a man by the name of Charles Taylor beat Dean Kamen to the punch over fifty years ago — and did it with only one wheel! That's right, Taylor invented and patented a mechanical system able to power, brake and steer with only one wheel before the transistor had even been imagined. As an added bonus, he went and filmed his contraptions in action for our enjoyment all these years later.

While we couldn't find the patents associated with Chuck's hard work, that doesn't mean they don't exist in the mega-archives of the US Patent and Trademark Office. Seems a lot of the work on this thing has just never been picked up. We're pretty sure the American National Unimotorcyclists Society would love to tinker with some of these ideas. A lot more history over at Hemmings and the full ten minute demonstration video can be found at UC Berkley's site on the guy.