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It was unveiled by Honda's CEO on September 24, 2009, and it was announced that it would be shown at the 2009
Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Device in NY
indoor and outdoor demonstrations, April 2010. U3-X Electric concept cars Robotics at Honda One-wheeled balancing robots Personal transporters {{vehicle-stub
The Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
U3-X is an experimental self-balancing one-wheeled personal transporter
A personal transporter (also powered transporter, electric rideable, personal light electric vehicle, personal mobility device, etc.) is any of a class of compact, mostly recent (21st century), motorised micromobility vehicle for transporting an ...
shown in 2009.
History
It was unveiled by Honda's CEO on September 24, 2009, and it was announced that it would be shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show ...
. ''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine called it one of the 50 best inventions of 2009.
In April 2010, Honda engineers did a short demonstration of two of the devices in Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
In May 2010, Honda representatives demonstrated the U3-X at the Honda Collection Hall in Motegi, Tochigi, Japan
Honda presented the Honda UNI-CUB
The Honda UNI-CUB is a concept 2-axis self-balancing personal transporter for use in barrier-free indoor environments, and shown at the Osaka Motor Show 2013.
History
As a successor to the 2009 Honda U3-X, it was demonstrated at the Osaka Motor ...
, a successor to this device at Osaka Motor Show 2013.
Design and operation
Honda developed the U3-X with technology originally developed for ASIMO the bipedal human robot project. Honda states that the "U" stands for unicycle and for universal. It weighs and travels at , a similar speed to the Toyota Winglet. Honda U3-X is a compact experimental device that fits comfortably between the rider's legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking - forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally. It uses Honda Omni-Traction (HOT) drive system to permit it to move in any lateral direction. The system uses multiple small diameter motorised wheels connected inline to form one large diameter wheel. Rotating the large diameter wheel moves the U3-X forward and backward, while rotating the small diameter wheels moves it side-to-side. Combining these movements causes the U3-X to move diagonally. It has not been announced yet whether the vehicle will be offered for public sale. The price is not announced yet.Specifications
Honda stated the U3-X key specifications as follows: * Length * Width (stowed) * Height (stowed) * Weight < * Top speed * Drive system: Omni Traction Drive System * Battery type:Lithium-ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also s ...
* Operation time: ≈ 1 hour
See also
* Toyota Winglet *Segway PT
The Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter invented by Dean Kamen and brought to market in 2001 as the Segway HT, subsequently as the Segway PT, and manufactured by Segway Inc. ''HT'' is an initialism for "human trans ...
References
Further reading
*External links
Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Device in NY
indoor and outdoor demonstrations, April 2010. U3-X Electric concept cars Robotics at Honda One-wheeled balancing robots Personal transporters {{vehicle-stub