Honda Cars : Honda Announces New UNI-CUB Personal Mobility Device Designed for Harmony with People | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

05/14/2012 - TOKYO, Japan

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today unveiled the new UNI-CUB personal mobility device, designed for harmony with people. Featuring a compact design and comfortable saddle, UNI-CUB offers the same freedom of movement in all directions that a person enjoys while walking. Representing the evolution of the U3-X personal mobility device that Honda announced in 2009, UNI-CUB features Honda's proprietary balance control technology and the world's first omni-directional driving wheel system (Honda Omni Traction Drive System). These technologies allow the rider to control speed, move in any direction, turn and stop, all simply by shifting his or her weight. Since the rider can freely move forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally, he or she can quickly and easily maneuver among other people.
Moreover, UNI-CUB's compact saddle-style packaging makes it easy for the rider's legs to reach the ground and maintains eye-level height with other pedestrians. This configuration promotes harmony between the rider and others, letting the rider travel freely and comfortably inside facilities and among moving people.
Starting in June 2012, Honda will jointly conduct demonstration testing of UNI-CUB with Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. In addition to testing the feasibility of using UNI-CUB indoors, this project will explore the practical applications of the device in a wide range of environments in Japan and other countries.
The balance control technology of UNI-CUB is part of the Honda Robotics family of technologies, which originates with Honda's research into humanoid robots, including the world-famous ASIMO.
Going forward, Honda will continue its proactive research and development of next-generation mobility technologies, aiming always to offer more and more people the joy and fun that comes from freedom of movement.
Key specifications of UNI-CUB

Size (L x W x H)	520 x 345 x 745 mm
Seat height	745 – 825 mm
Battery type	Lithium-ion battery
Maximum speed	6 km/h
Range	6 km
Application environment	Barrier-free indoor environments

Key features of UNI-CUB:
Maneuverability promotes compatibility with people in many environments:
1. Omni-directional freedom of movement similar to human walking
UNI-CUB has a two-wheel configuration with a minimal wheelbase. The front wheel features the Honda Omni Traction Drive System that Honda first announced in 2009. The rear wheel moves laterally to facilitate turning. By leveraging the different rotational speeds of the front and rear wheel treads during lateral movements, UNI-CUB can move forwards and backwards, side-to-side and diagonally and also turn in place, making possible quick, nimble movement.
2. Movement in harmony with other people
Honda's proprietary balance control technology makes it possible for the rider to freely control the wheels of the UNI-CUB, much as human beings maintain their balance. With a design that takes into consideration the rider's environment, this system allows the rider to maneuver while moving side by side with or holding hands with another person.
3. Compact size for moving and climbing gradients in barrier-free indoor environments
Thanks to UNI-CUB's compact saddle-style packaging, the rider and vehicle together are about the same width as a person when walking. Optimized wheel design and high-precision drive/balance control enhance UNI-CUB's ability to climb gradients in barrier-free indoor environments.

Ease of control promotes freedom of movement:
4. Weight shift control combined with touch panel control
When the rider is using weight shift control, UNI-CUB's incline sensor detects the direction in which the rider is leaning, allowing UNI-CUB to calculate the direction and speed intended by the rider. And touch panel control via smartphone and other devices is another convenient control option.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/-honda-announces-new-uni-cub-personal-mobility-device-designed-for-harmony-with-people

Honda Cars : U3-X Personal Mobility Prototype Video | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Incredible....

Honda Cars : Hands On with Honda's U3-X Personal Mobility Prototype | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Honda's remarkable U3-X personal mobility prototype is the device Segway inventor Dean Kamen should have introduced. Shaped like a figure 8, Honda's omni-directional, robotics-controlled U3-X is like an intelligent unicycle, where your own balancing skills are not required.

Unveiled last year at the Tokyo Motor Show, the U3-X has never been ridden in the U.S.—until now. I got a rare chance to try out the prototype at an invite-only event in Manhattan. Honda execs started the afternoon with a brief overview of the U3-X. The device, at roughly 25 inches high and six inches wide, is small enough to fit between your legs. Two small foot rests flip out from either side, and the top half of the device opens, butterfly-style, to provide a cushioned leather seat. The U3-X weight about 22 lbs and has a handle on top for easy carrying. However, since the U3-X balances itself (a trick learned from Honda's ASIMO robot), you can simply hold the handle and roll it along. Its lithium-ion battery holds an hour charge and features a rather unique omni-directional wheel system (called an Omni Traction Drive System) that can roll forward on the full-size wheel or sideways on dozens of little wheels that sit inside the larger wheel. Balancing is provided by accelerometers and sensors that detect the rider's center of gravity and make constant adjustments to keep the U3-X and rider in perfect balance. Riding is simply a matter of leaning, slightly, in the direction you want to go.

After the talk, we got a brief primer on exactly how to ride the U3-X: While facing away from the device, hold the seat with two hands and back onto the U3-X. At the same time, put one foot on one footrest. Sit down and then pick up the other foot. This worked for me exactly as described and within seconds I was gliding across the floor. Subtle movements of my upper back and shoulders sent to forward, back and side-to-side. To make, say, a hard right or left turn, I'd put one foot on the floor and gently turn. I rarely had to do this, though, because the U3-X responded to even my most subtle movements. The U3-X can travel up to three MPH, but even at this top speed, I never felt like I had to make a sudden movement to stop or avoid a collision. I just leaned back a bit in the opposite direction and the U3-X stopped. At one point, I rode in unison with another U3-X rider. I never feared falling and noticed that bumping into the other rider didn't send the U3-X or me into a tail spin.

I've ridden a Segway and, while it's an amazing device, it was never this simple or—more importantly—unobtrusive. A product like this that allow personal mobility to the able and, potentially, disabled, without needing special pathways, or sticking out like a store thumb, is something else altogether.

Honda wouldn't share the software platform or actual CPU intelligence inside the U3-X. That's not surprising for a prototype device. More distressing, though, is that the product, which took years develop has no "to-market" plan—or at least not one Honda would share. Honda execs would only say that it's still a prototype and they don't know when consumers will get their hands—or butts—on it.

Source;
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362334,00.asp

Honda Cars : Honda’s very own Segway: the U3-X | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Both Honda and Toyota seem to be quite interested in producing Segway-like personal mobility devices for human usage. Toyota has the i-REAL, and this latest gadget from Honda is called the U3-X. It’s still a concept for now, a compact experimental device that fits between the rider’s legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking – forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally.

Honda’s balance control technology – gained from the robotics research of Honda’s bi-pedal ASIMO robot – enables the rider to control the U3-X by leaning his or her upper body to shift body weight. The U3-X moves via a wheel that Honda calls the Honda Omni Traction Drive System, or HOT Drive System. The letter U stands for “unicycle” and “universal”.

It enables movement in all directions, including not only forward and backward, but also directly to the right and left and diagonally. Basically you sit on it like a stool, and lean around to move. The height of the device is designed to enable the user to be placed roughly the same eye level as other people. Top speed isn’t much, considering your upright position perhaps it’s for the better. You can travel at speeds of up to 6km/h. The U3-X itself weighs less than 10kg, can run for an hour with a full charge, and uses a lithium ion battery.

The U3-X will be one of Honda’s exhibits at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009 that will happen towards the end of October 2009. You can probably expect the new Honda boss Takanobu Ito to ride out onto the stage on one of these to deliver his opening speech.

Source with Video and more pics;
http://paultan.org/2009/09/24/hondas-very-own-segway-the-u3-x/#more-16335