Honda Motor Co develops a new personal mobility devise – first drive system that enables movement in all directions. It was designed to take up the same amount of space as a human being to be safe and unobtrusive enough to mingle with pedestrians.
Honda’s new U3-X experimental vehicle device looks like a unicycle. It has the regular large wheel of a unicycle, which is made up of many tiny motor-controlled wheels, packed inside the bigger wheel. The device can move in any direction, including not only forward and backward, but also directly to the left and right and diagonally, just as in human walking. To move, you lean your body weight the direction you want to go.
Weighing just 22 pounds (less than 10 kilograms), the device maintains its own balance as it scoots along at a speed of up to 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) per hour on a fully charged battery for an hour, and has a lithium ion battery.
How does it work? Sensors detect slight changes in the incline of the device based on the weight shift of the rider and determine the rider’s intention in terms of the direction and speed.
This was achieved through application of advanced technologies including Hondas balance control technology, which was developed through the robotics research of ASIMO (bipedal humanoid robot), and the omni-directional driving wheel system (HOT Drive System), which enables movement in all directions.
While the U3-X is just a concept, Honda President Takanobu Ito said the machine was still a proposal and they will conduct real-world testing to verify the practicality of the device.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:04 am
I’ve been reading along for a while now. I just wanted to drop you a comment to say keep up the good work.