TOKYO — Honda has rolled out another gee-whiz experimental device, the U3-X "personal mobility device." The rider perches "comfortably" on the device in a barstool fashion and can move in a manner very close to walking, but without the actual physical effort.
This is the latest fruit of Honda R&D's fascination with creating Jetson-style robotic toys. The U3-X benefits from the balance control technology the company developed when creating its earlier ASIMO "bipedal humanoid" robot. An innovation on the U3-X is an omnidirectional driving wheel system that it calls Honda Omni Traction Drive, or HOT Drive. This means the rider of the U3-X can adjust speed and move forward, backward, side to side and diagonally in a natural way. The side-to-side and diagonal movements are thanks to a set of several small-diameter, motor-controlled wheels connected inline to form one large-diameter wheel. Leaning the upper body to shift body weight is "read" and interpreted by an incline sensor.
The U3-X is a low-frills "unicycle," more compact and portable than a Segway, and has a lightweight body with foldable seat, footrests and frame. It measures a mere 12.4 inches long, 6.3 inches wide and 25.6 inches high and weighs less than 22 pounds.
A possible Achilles' heel would be its lithium-ion battery, which has one hour of operation time in it when fully charged. No plans for production were announced, but Honda will show the U3X at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show next month.
Inside Line says: We can see the positive implications for parallel parking from that HOT Drive technology, and the negative implications for good old-fashioned exercise from the rise of the "personal mobility device." — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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