Seven-Person Bike Used as Schoolbus and to Fight Obesity (VIDEO)

San Francisco-based artist Eric Staller built a bike for eight people as an art piece. He wanted to take his work out of the gallery and into the streets. His multi-person cycle got so much attention he decided to commercialize it as a bike for seven.

Staller named it a conference bike because it's not a tandem, but instead all seven passengers sit in a circle. It steers like a car with Volkswagen steering, everyone has pedals which are connected to a circular shaft (a universal joint) with a chain that goes to the rear wheels. So even those cycling backward, or sideways, contribute to the forward motion equally.

They're not cheap -- about $13,000 each -- but Staller believes every village could have one. Some towns are using them as part of car-free city programs. In Germany, they're being used as a human-powered school bus.

And somehow by making cycling a group activity, the conference bike is being considered for weight loss. In Oregon, one school district uses it as a tool to fight obesity and Staller says even those from Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" anti-obesity campaign have shown interest.

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