Crazy Honda Uni-Cub ß to debut at Tokyo Motor Show 2013
Thu, 14 Nov 2013
Honda
If you're anything like us, it would have taken a while for you to realise that you're not looking at a pair of penguins in this picture. Instead, it's a new Uni-Cub ß ‘personal mobility device’ that's set to be unveiled by Honda at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.
First introduced in 2012, the Uni-Cub ß features balance control technology and an omni-directional driving wheel system called Honda Omni Traction Drive System.
We race the world's fastest lawn mowerHonda S660 Concept sports car for Tokyo Motor Show 2013The development of the Uni-Cub ß has run parallel with that of Asimo (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), Honda's famous humanoid robot, which dates back to the year 2000.
The Uni-Cub ß enables its rider to move forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally, simply by shifting their body weight and leaning towards the intended direction. Honda plans to offer the Uni-Cub ß to businesses and organisations in Japan through a fee-based leasing scheme.
Sadly there are no plans to develop a Uni-Cub ß Type-R.
The Uni-Cub ß – which is 510mm long, 315mm wide and 620mm high – weighs 25kg and has a top speed of 3mph. A range of three miles is possible from its lithium-ion battery, assuming 1.5 hours usage at a steady 2mph.
It's designed for use indoors, so we can't expect a Uni-Cub ß one-make race series any time soon, either. Although some corridor-based grand prix action wouldn't be out of the question. Honda is no stranger to racing unconventional machinery, after all.
You can see the Uni-Cub ß at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, which takes place from the 22 November to the 1 December. MSN Cars will be there to bring you all the latest news.
On Bing: see pictures of the Uni-Cub ßFind out how much a used Honda costs on Auto TraderRead a Honda review on MSN CarsHonda FCEV concept for 2013 LA debutWe race the world's fastest lawn mowerHonda S660 Concept sports car for Tokyo Motor Show 2013By Gavin Braithwaite-Smith, contributor, MSN Cars