[og1]

They didn't invent the omni wheel, been around for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omni_wheel

I'm sure Honda tuned it up a bit though.

Also, there have been some wheelchairs made with omni-directional wheels, although I'm not sure if they are only a prototypes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecanum_wheel

[Sidnicious]

Are you sure? This omniwheel is novel because the rollers are powered. This is the first device I've seen that can move in any direction with a single wheel.