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Engadget rides the Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Device! (video)
We just had a chance to go hands... er, rear-on with Honda's latest R&D experiment, the U3-X Personal Mobility Device, and we've got the say -- it was a moving experience. If you'll recall, the tiny, uni-wheeled unit is built on the same balancing principles which the company's ASIMO uses, and utilizes the world's first omni-directional driving wheel system. What does all that mean? Well, it means that when you sit down on the thing, it moves in whatever direction you lean in, however slightly. The experience is kind of amazing, as it requires very little effort on the rider, and though you feel like you could easily go flying off of the U3-X, you always retain a solid center of balance. As opposed to something like the company's Walking Assist devices (which you can see us taking for a spin right here), this is a totally effortless experience. It just goes where you want it to -- almost by suggestion. There's no telling if Honda will ever bring something like this to market -- they're notorious for crazy projects that never see the light of day on store shelves -- but it's an amazing look into the potential future of transportation. If you thought the Segway was a little big for your taste, this could be the answer to your prayers. As far as we're concerned, now that we've taken a ride on the U3-X, walking just feels like a chore. See for yourself what it looks and feels like in the video after the break! %Gallery-89914% %Gallery-89916%
Honda's U3-X taken for an awkward squat (video)
The granola girls over at Autoblog Green had the rare opportunity to test out the quirky little U3-X on a visit to the Honda R&D center in Japan. You remember: the self-balancing unicycle that fits in a car door and relies on an inclinometer (not gyroscope) to know which way is up. In essence it balances the rider like a broomstick held on-end in the palm of the end. Autoblog calls it "far more intriguing than a Segway" due largely to the Honda Omni Traction (HOT) drive system that allows the personal transporter to move forward, back, and left and right on a series of small wheels. Unfortunately, Honda wouldn't let anyone peek underneath to see the magic. When turned on the U3-X stands upright making small motions to maintain balance. And as awkward as it looks, riding the U3-X "couldn't be easier" -- like a Segway you just lean ever so subtly in the direction you want to go. It will tip over if the rider leans too far or too fast but it's apparently very simple and intuitive to keep upright. The 20-pound model tested was designed for indoor use only and booked along at an overdue-toilet-break pace of 4MPH. Check it out in the video after the break.
Honda EV-N Concept tucks U3-X personal transporter inside door
Look, we admit it: Honda's U3-X unicycle gave us a bit of a chuckle when we first peeped the video last week. Now look at this, just look at it! Not only does the Honda EV-N Concept steal all the best retro styling from the classic Fiat 500 (or Honda 600 closer to home), it also integrates the miniscule U3-X electric transporter directly into its passenger door frame -- adding an additional 22-pounds, at least, in the process. Oh, and this little guy's electric with a solar roof panel. The EV-N will makes its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show next month where we hope to give it a great big hug just for showing up. A few more pics after the break, fully gallery just beyond that read link.
Honda's U3-X Personal Mobility Device is the Segway of unicycles
Yeah, we've seen a self-balancing unicycle before, but the brand new U3-X from Honda takes it to another level. A creepy-sterile, awesomely futuristic Honda level, to be precise. What makes the U3-X particularly interesting is it has the regular large wheel of a unicycle, but that wheel is actually made up of several small wheels in a series, which can rotate independently, meaning that the device can go forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally, all being controlled with a simple lean. Honda credits its ASIMO research for this multi-directional capability, though we're not sure we see it -- ASIMO is biped, after all -- but far be it from us to discredit an excuse to keep up the good work on the ASIMO front. Right now the "experimental model" of the U3-X gets a single hour of battery and weighs under 22 pounds, with a seat and foot rests that fold into the device for extra portability. No word of course on when the thing might make it to market, but Honda plans to show it off next month at the Tokyo Motor Show. A devastatingly short video of the U3-X in action is after the break.
