Taipei Invention Show 2010

The back to front bike

I didn't think it was possible to make tandem biking even more awkward and unpopular, but this might just be it. I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to cycle backwards facing their riding partner - maybe if you both enjoy travelling and exercise but you've got a lot to discuss?

Scratch this one up to having some fun with the novelty factor, but I can't see it becoming a common sight on the morning commute.

The stepping bike

This concept is arguably not entirely new, but the company here has put serious effort into getting it on the road. If you really want butt and thigh muscles that could crack a walnut, or find bike seats about as comfortable as sitting on a pin-head, this could be the answer for you.

2010 remake of the Bubble car?

Remember the Top Gear episode where Jeremy drove the worlds smallest car? Well we're not sure if this could take that particular record, but it was developed by Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute as a future mode of very personal transportation that gives the environmental protection of a car, but parking potential of a bike.

Stuck in traffic? Nowhere to park? Not any more! Despite being four wheeled, it's front and back wheels are at the very front and back, and can rotate a full 90 degrees, meaning the pod has a zero turning circle.

While functionally viable, the stigma of riding around in something so aesthetically futurist probably won't appeal to many. Unless that is, you live in Beijing.