UNI-CUB, the the hominoid one-and-a-half wheeler
We hardly have to long describe the innovation skill of the Japanese. The vehicle presented in our article adjusted to this trend won't go into none of a typical category, though there's a reason in it, it's an open question if there will be demand on it.
How shall I call you, could this poetic sigh conceive on the lips of lots of us, when we look at the new, but actually born from the development of earlier ideas, vehicle of Honda. The factory itself explains this something with the expression „personal mobility device", so it's not like the other vehicles.
It has one wheel on which the device is rolling, and there's a small „spare wheel" which assists in turning. We can travel seated on it, at most one person, it's maximum speed is 6 kms/h, it's range is 6 kms (just for the sake of simplicity), it's resource is electric power (just for the sake of greatness), fed by practically changeable batteries. It hasn't got any carrier, it can safely operate only on flat, obstruction-proof surfaces, so there's no way for stair climbing and any other classical off-road movements. So what is this construction good for after all?
Well, to replace walking! Numerous hints of Honda relate to this (in harmony with people, passanger height, feeling of walking's liberty), additionally also the factory illustrations. But how useful this invention is, about this it could be disputed for a long while from the sports doctors to the physiotherapist and to the common men, but it's not totally unimaginable that there would be some situation when this walking-replacing machine comes in useful. For some reason the number of similar devices undoubtedly increased in the last few years, just think about the success of the Segway!
The novelty lies in this case in that there's no need for a steering-wheel for the controlling, the primer signal is the weight of the traveller. We are able to manage from the speed to the change of direction almost everything with simple body-controls sitting in the adjustable saddle, but there's also a control panel available for us, fot safety's sake.
In the course of the tests started in June of 2012 the engineers pay an extra attention to complement the knowledge of the attractive, clearly designed UNI-CUB with practical applications, thanks to this it will be appliable in case of further environmental conditions. If this means the same with the stair climbing, shoulder surmounting ability, so this environmentally friendly „personal mobility device" would seem right away more likeable and more useful.
