They say that once you learn how to balance yourself on a bike, you can’t forget it. Honda’s latest motorcycle won’t forget it either, because the whole bike can balance itself without a rider on board.
On Thursday at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Honda unveiled its Riding Assist technology, which uses robotics technology to create a motorcycle that balances itself. This reduces the possibility of falling over when the motorcycle is at rest.
“This technology was created based on our desire to create a motorcycle that gives people the option of riding with total peace of mind by greatly reducing the possibility of falling over,” said Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, president of Honda R&D Co., Ltd.
The Riding Assist motorcycle uses technology that was originally developed for the UNI-CUB, another self-balancing device that is used for personal mobility. The UNI-CUB is basically a moving seat, and it looks somewhat like a penguin. On the UNI-CUB, the rider can move in any direction, control speed, and stop, just by shifting body weight.
At the show, Honda demonstrated the Riding Assist motorcycle, along with the UNI-CUB.
“Through this open innovation, we believe we can create products of substance that make people even happier,” Matsumoto said.
Check it out in action in the video below:
