Honda Riding Assist Technology For Self-balancing Bikes – CES 2017
For assisting riders in balancing bikes in low speed situations below 4 kmph.
At the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show 2017, Las Vegas, Honda has previewed a system called as “Riding Assist Technology” that could simply revolutionize the whole idea of biking. The first thing we all learned while trying to ride a motorcycle was to balance it when we stop or brake hard. Honda says that the technology will autonomously perform the balancing job, thereby preventing the rider from tumping over along with the bike.
The Riding assist achieves self-balancing via fairly rapid steering inputs using a powerful steer actuator that levers move the front wheel and fork legs forward. This keeps the steering pivot in its normal position, thereby gaining advantage to bring optimum balance. The prototype machine is also fitted with clamped-on tripods on either side to support the bike, in case the self-balancing system couldn’t handle.
Honda’s riding assist may not hit market shortly, but has huge potentials for future that can hardly be ignored.
But that’s not all. The system also enables the self-balancing motorcycle to follow the rider at walking pace when he/she walks away from it. This demonstration reveals that the system is also equipped with electric drive and some means of following the person. This also hints at autonomous capabilities of motorcycles of the future.
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Honda’s technologies used in personal mobility devices such as the Asimo humanoid-robot series and Uni-Cub mobile scooter are said to be the basis for the riding assist systems for motorcycles as well. The prototype on display is a Honda NC750 platform, used in the brand’s range of adventure-tourers.
Honda Uni-Cub scooter uses unique wheels with tires consist of circular arrays of short cylindrical rollers, for forward or backward movement and sideways
The Japanese bike maker is tight lipped on the technology’s production debut. Apparently, the riding assist is not a feature that is aimed at hitting the market shortly, but it is one such technology that has huge potentials that can hardly be ignored.
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H/T Cycle World
