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"I suspect that religion is a necessary evil in the childhood of our particular species. And that's one of the interesting things about contact with other intelligences: we could see what role, if any, religion plays in their development."
- Arthur C. Clarke

Gyrocar (Gyro)  
  A gyroscopically stabilized car; a one-wheeled vehicle.  

The car was standing at less than a fifteen degree angle, tilting west... a gyrocar was both compass and clock. It held its position without regard to the motion of the planet, which meant that it leaned to the west - when parked - at a rate of fifteen degrees per hour, unless set on its side with the gyro oriented east-west. et Earth spin, fashioning day and night - the gyro was indifferent.

He gunned the wheeldrive, grabbed the steering bar, and slapped the reverse button. Dry sticks crackled under the single tire as it bounced over the side embankment, and the gyro vibrated against the stress of uneven terrain.

Technovelgy from The Ring, by Piers Anthony (w/R. Margroff).
Published by Macdonald in 1969
Additional resources -

Here's how they worked:

"The law makes me report every powerpak I take from a gyromotor," Ed said. "You know, those gyropaks are special, not like the wheel motors. They keep that gyro going all the time, so the car won't fall."

Compare to the gyrocar from Two Boys in a Gyrocar the story of a New York to Paris motor race (1911) by Kenneth Brown, the Gyro-Hat from An Experiment in Gyro-Hats (1926) by Ellis Parker Butler, the tumblebug from The Roads Must Roll (1940) by Robert Heinlein, the Two-Wheeled Ground Car from First Lensman (1950) by E.E. 'Doc' Smith, the Gyro Two-Wheeled Truck from The Sign of the Tiger (1958) by Alan Nourse (w/Meyer) and the smart bike from Distraction (1998) by Bruce Sterling.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from The Ring
  More Ideas and Technology by Piers Anthony (w/R. Margroff)
  Tech news articles related to The Ring
  Tech news articles related to works by Piers Anthony (w/R. Margroff)

Gyrocar (Gyro)-related news articles:
  - Audi Snook One-Wheel Concept Gyrocar Updated

Articles related to Vehicle
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
Caterpillar Electric Mining Loader Not Yet Ready For Moon
Engineer Creates Crazy Motorized Track Hospital Bed
Xiaomi Self-Driving Self-Balancing Scooter

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