Honda's UX-3 Personal Mobility Device - Segway Lookout

For the last ten years Honda has been working on a robot to assist humans as both house-keeper and health-care provider. The robot is named Asimo (friend) and has come a long way since its first inception.

Part of the idea with this concept is to make the robot non-threatening to humans. For that reason Asimo is about the size of a ten year old child. This size also makes it easier to operate in human living space and to make it more people-friendly.

This is the ideal size for the robot to operate light switches and door knobs, and work at tables and work benches.

Spin-Off Devices

Walk Assist
Though Asimo has yet to make it to any home, the solutions Honda has come up with to operate it properly have appeared in other ideas for products.

One is the Honda Walk Assist which has a saddle and two legs that nest inside the thigh area. The Walk Assist ends at the shoes. It is battery powered and with intelligent control gives the human wearing it more power in the lower limbs.

U3-X
The U3-X is a personal mobility devices that takes the place of a scooter. The device is designed to assist humans in moving around in locations without stairs. It is more an assistance device than a health device. For example, it is not designed to replace wheel-chairs, but to allow people with normal mobility to get around and conserve energy.

The most remarkable thing about the U3-X is not that it works, but that it works so well for it's size. Unlike the Segway it can be carried by hand (a bit difficult due to its weight) or rolled around like carry-on luggage.

The U3-X is small enough to fit comfortably between the rider's legs. It has a fold-away saddle and two foot rests. Rather than the dual wheel of the Segway, the U3-X has a single compound wheel for movement both forward and back as well as side-to-side. Though the U3-X is not yet ready for human consumption, Honda will continue to conduct research and development of the device.

Because the U3-X has a single wheel it must drive the device in a number of directions; not just forward and back. To do this Honda invented a wheel that has smaller wheels within it. The larger diameter wheel is for driving the device forward and back. Smaller wheels mounted at right angles to the main wheel axis of rotation provide side-to-side movement.

With this wheel arrangement it is no longer necessary to stop after forward motion, turn 90 degrees to the right and then roll forward again to make a turn. Rather a rider can merely roll down the hall and lean right to change direction.The video below shows the effect of this wheel on movement.

Naturally the device has electronic gyroscopes, accelerometers and GPS sensors. It's primary focus it to remain upright. For that reason leaning forward causes the U3-X to move forward to maintain its center of gravity. Leaning back brings the UX-3 to a stop and leaning back farther causes the device to back up.

Honda developed a special drive wheel for the U3-X. By allowing movement in all possible directions on a plane, Honda has simplified both the driving structure and what the on-board computer has to direct for motion. The HOT wheels are connected in-line to form one large-diameter wheel. By moving the large-diameter wheel, the device moves forward and backward, and by moving small-diameter wheels, the device moves side-to-side. By combining these movements the device moves diagonally.

Because this is a prototype the following figures may change.

The device is twelve point three (12.3") (313mm) front to back, is six point two (6.2") inches (160mm) wide, and stands twenty five point five (25.5") inches (647mm) tall. It weighs about twenty-two pounds (10kg) and has a top speed of about six kilometers per hour. It is powered by a lithium-ion battery which will operate the device for about an hour.

Though Honda has not yet announced any plans to actually market the U3-X it is certainly a show-case model for Honda's engineering savvy, design and style.

What I find most intriguing about the U3-X is not its ability to remain upright and transport people (seemingly) with complete ease; its the wheel design that I find most interesting. Also, the fact that Honda has managed to get all of this technology into such a small and light package is remarkable.

The author was not compensated in any way, monetarily, with discounts, or freebies by any of the companies mentioned.

Though the author does make a small profit for the word count of this article none of that comes directly from the manufacturers mentioned. The author also stands to make a small profit from advertising attached to this article.

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