Raw Japan
Slices of Japanese business, politics and life
Honda’s new wheel
It looks deceptively simple: a stool with a wheel, or an electric unicycle.
But Honda Motor, maker of cars, motorbikes, robots and aircraft, says it embodies state-of-the-art technology and may one day become the smallest means of transport for humans.
I saw the new U3-X at a Honda media launch. It’s shaped like a figure-8 and moves in any direction set by the person sitting on top, by leaning their body back, forth and sideways.
It weighs in at under 22 lb (10 kg), runs about an hour on one charge of its battery at up to about 4 mph (6 kph), about the pace of brisk walk.
The machine uses balance control technology developed in its research efforts on its famous Asimo humanoid robot, Honda told us, but is not ready for sale yet as the company is still developing it.
When the company showed the device to reporters, some were quick to ask whether it is Honda’s answer to Segway, a two-wheeled battery-powered scooter, which has come to be seen as a pioneer in futuristic personal mobility.
Honda’s Asimo saves the day
Talk about a clever PR ploy. Instead of looking miserly with a subdued presence at the Geneva auto show, Honda Motor drew attention to its latest hybrid car by employing another of its technological wonders: the Asimo humanoid robot.
Japan’s No.2 carmaker usually holds full-blown press conferences at international auto shows as is the industry norm, with the chief executive on hand to talk up the company’s achievements and product offerings in front of hundreds of journalists.
But with cash preservation the name of the game these days, Honda decided to try something else: replace the CEO with the now-famous Asimo, a 120 cm-tall, bubble-headed robot to introduce the Insight hybrid. Asimo is another “product” that Honda hopes to market one day as a “personal mobility” assistant to help the elderly or do simple work around the office such as distributing mail.
“It was cheaper than flying the CEO over from Tokyo for the show,” spokesman Shigeki Endo told me before the show, which opened to the media on Tuesday. This Asimo – Honda has several, including one at its headquarters in Tokyo – resides at a studio in Brussels.
“I’m really interested in hybrid technology,” the bug-eyed Asimo said in a boyish voice after being introduced by another spokesman at the Honda booth at the annual Geneva show.
During a sometimes surreal 20-minute presentation for journalists, Asimo fetched two green teas and stood diligently by the Insight on stage as a spokesman chatted with an engineer about the merits of the Insight, Honda’s first low-cost hybrid car.
Given the size of the Honda team that travels with Asimo to program and service him, it would probably be cheaper to send the human executive, actually.
-
Resident Raw Japan Expert
-
