The microcycle, which has a single 25-inch motorcycle tire and reaches speeds up to 10 mph, uses a combination of gyroscope sensors and accelerometers to balance itself. That, combined with a strategic weight distribution and an intuitive acceleration and braking method, makes this motorized unicycle from the future actually feel … safe.

It’s a magnet for attention, too. Plenty of people at the WIRED New York office stopped by to check it out. Many of them wanted to ride it — in no small part because it looks and feels like something Syd Mead dreamed up. What inspired the vehicle is more cute than futuristic though.