8:40 am, October 25, 2023
Meet the Honda Uni-One – a cross between a Segway and a mobility scooter designed to make lazy people’s lives even easier.
Unveiled at the Tokyo mobility show, the Honda transportation device looks like a small plastic chair and is designed to transport people at walking pace at distances of up to 8km.
Honda’s chief frontier robotics engineer, Macoto Hasegawa, who was on the development team, gave Car Dealer a demonstration of the wacky mode of transport at the show.
Using a series of electric motors and gyros, the Uni-one responds to your body’s movements as if you were walking.
You turn it on with a touchscreen that rises the unit up from its four stabilising wheels and onto the multi directional drive.
As you lean forward, the sensors in the device pick up your subtle body posture changes and drives the unit forward. Leaning backwards brings it to a gentle stop.
Turning it takes a little more practice – a drop of the shoulder allows it to gently arc around bends. It’s surprisingly intuitive to use and within a few seconds we were moving freely around the demonstration area at the show.
It has a top speed of walking pace – around 4kph – which feels fast enough, and on a full charge its battery will last around 8km.
The Honda Uni-One is a ‘mobility solution’ says the manufacturer
‘You don’t drive it, you walk it,’ Hasegawa told Car Dealer.
‘It’s designed to be used in airports, shopping malls or on university campuses where getting around large areas is tiring.
‘While it is useful for people with a disability, we think the Uni-One will be used by everyone in the future.’
The Tokyo show opened today (October 25) with a press day for journalists. The event is renowned for its wacky concepts and outlandish ideas.
The Honda Uni-One was on display on Honda’s main stand, alongside its cars, and also available to try in the show’s ‘Future hall’.
Hasegawa added: ‘These will be hired by people at large public locations all over the world.
‘We have trialled them with security staff at a large mall who used the Uni-One to get around during their shifts. It was very popular with them.’
The Honda Uni-One is scheduled to go on sale in 2025. No price has yet been set.
You can see a video of Car Dealer trying the Uni-One here.
