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China’s ‘Useless Edison’ invents weightless centrifugal car so he can feel like he is in space while driving, but vomits on test drive

  • Geng Shuai has long been known in mainland China as ‘Useless Edison’ for his novel but impractical inventions
  • Geng’s most famous invention is a barbecue piano car, which allows a person to play the piano and roast meat while driving

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China’s DIY ‘Useless Edison’ makes a rotating car to simulate weightlessness and realise his space travel dream, but vomited on a test drive. SCMP Artwork
Yingjie Wang

A 33-year-old man in China has built a weightless centrifugal car with a round tube-like body that can rotate while driving to realise his dream of feeling weightless as though he is in space.

The inventor, Geng Shuai, of Baoding in northern China’s Hebei province, has long been known in mainland China as “Useless Edison” for his novel but impractical inventions. Geng has over 65 million followers on Douyin, China’s TikTok.

One of Geng’s most famous inventions is a barbecue piano car, which allows a person to play the piano and roast meat on an attached stove while driving.

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When asked why he created the weightless car, Geng said it was a long-held dream of his.

One of Geng’s most famous inventions is a barbecue piano car, which allows a person to play the piano and roast meat on an attached stove while driving: Photo: Douyin
One of Geng’s most famous inventions is a barbecue piano car, which allows a person to play the piano and roast meat on an attached stove while driving: Photo: Douyin

“I’ve always wanted to go to space to experience the feeling of weightlessness and rotation, but I haven’t been able to realise my dream,” Geng said in a Douyin video.

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