The second main character of Slubes is a slube 32 years old; he’s an inventor, an engineer, and a slube of science, although his status as an actual Professor is somewhat ambiguous. Hailing from a major city on an island north of Nottle, he is somewhat worldlier than the other two main characters, aside from the fact he’s kind of a scatterbrained goof-up and his competency is sometimes called into question. He’s always got a chipper attitude, though, and is a whiz at mechanics—he just doesn’t have much common sense.
In Slubes, he’s been living in Nottle in obscurity, studying the crystal at the focus of the novel. It’s he who brings the others together to rebuild it after it shatters, and it’s he who has the transportation they need to do so in a timely matter. The Transpide is a vehicle of his own design fitted with gadgets and gizmos to help them on their way—it’s just lacking some very important features like rear-view mirrors!
“So how are we going to get the rest of the shards?” Numer asked, placing a bag of ice on top of both eyes. “It’d take us half a day just to walk to the nearest city.”
“Then we won’t walk!” Zeth proclaimed, pushing the creeper he was lying on out from under the tarp. “Introducing the finished… ‘Professor Zeth’s Vehicular Device for Getting Places’!” Zeth pulled off the tarp to reveal a spherical, metal machine with wheels and an armored glass casing on the top.
“If we form a team, you are not making the name,” Cherry groaned.
“What, you don’t like it?” Zeth asked. “Then how about… The Wheeled Podamajig?”
“No.”
“Spinny Dasher Thing?”
“You can do better than that. Anyone can do better than that.”
“The Egg 1?”
“You’re really reaching now.”
Reading off a paper, Zeth said, “Well… the only name I have left is the Transpide.”
“I like that name,” Numer said.
“Then I’ll make it the Transpide!” Zeth decided.
“Is it supposed to have three wheels?” Cherry asked.
Zeth opened his mouth to say something but then looked at the Transpide. It was missing a fourth wheel! He quickly installed it and then held up his arms. “Complete!” He pointed to the back, flat with a lid covering it. “The Transpide’s engine is of my own design; it’s advanced, powerful, and gets amazing gas mileage.”
“So this should speed up the search, then?” Numer asked.
“Absolutely,” Zeth answered.
Duth Olec's Cuckoo Cosmos 
Darn, I was hoping you would use my Four Wheel Device suggestion. Ah, well. I guess that joke will forever be just something I said once.