The Honda U3-X, a personal mobility concept, to be showcased

at the ‘Cite De L’Architecture et du Patrimione’ (Museum of architecture and heritage)

Making its debut in France, Honda will present the U3-X Personal Mobility Concept during the exhibition, "GETTING AROUND: City, mobility and architecture" being held at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine (Museum of architecture and national heritage) from April 4 to August 26, 2012.

U3-X is a unique device developed by Honda’s Fundamental Research and Development Centre. It represents an entirely new form of mobility and demonstrates a new step towards a perfect fusion between man and machine.

Inspired by ASIMO’s ability to find its own balance point, U3-X can stand upright by controlling its center of gravity. A mono-wheel traction structure, Honda’s Omni Traction Drive System, enables the U3-X to move freely and smoothly in all directions; the rider needs only to lean their upper body to shift their weight and thus control the direction of travel.

U3-X was designed by Honda to be used completely intuitively by people in settings such as in museums, airports or shopping centres.

The U3-X at the "GETTING AROUND" exhibition

The exhibition "GETTING AROUND" will demonstrate to visitors how living-spaces have been developed and structured, to enable people to easily move around, using all the diverse modes of transportation that have been invented in the past 150 years.

The U3-X concept of personal mobility, has captured the attention of the organizers and will be exhibited in the sequence "Man in Motion", which will show how humans always carry with them the tools for their autonomy.

Editors Notes

About the Honda U3-X:

Free-flowing, unrestricted movements to replicate the mobility of human walking

1. The device uses the balance control technology developed for ASIMO: a sensor detects the inclination of the device according to the variation in weight distribution of the user, thus translating his/her intention in terms of speed and direction. Thanks to this data, the device is accurately controlled and remains in an upright position. This is how smooth movement and ease-of-use can be obtained thanks to variations in the balance of the user’s body weight.

2. Omni Traction Drive System: Honda has developed the world’s first wheel-structure that allows movements in all directions: forward, backwards, sideways and diagonally. Multiple small diameter wheels driven by an electric motor have been aligned and connected to form a single large-diameter wheel. When the large-diameter wheel is in motion, the U3-X moves forward or backwards; when the small-diameter wheel is in motion, the device moves sideways. A combination of the two motions allows the device to move diagonally.

3. A compact and innovative device: combining balance control technology with the Omni Traction Drive System has resulted in a compact mono-wheel structure with an innovative design. The light monocoque body of the U3-X contains the folding seat, footrests and body, which also serves as the chassis. The result is a very practical and easy-to-carry device.