Japanese auto maker Honda has showcased a concept, christened as Riding Assist, at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) started on January 5, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in, Nevada, United States. As the name suggests, the concept follows a self-balancing motorcycle that greatly reduces the possibility of tipping over while at slower speeds.
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Riders, at times, find it difficult to balance the motorcycle at lower speeds, especially while pulling the bike out of a garage or stopping at a street light. The Riding Assist is designed to do away with such situations. Honda has achieved this by shifting the motorcycle's front fork from a standard geometry position to a more lowered angle like many chopper bikes at a speed below 4.8 kmph. At the same time, left and right steering adjustments are automatically made to the front wheel to ensure motorcycle remains in balance. Interestingly, this can be done with or without a rider on board.
The technology for Riding Assist is borrowed from the R&D division of Honda's popular ASIMO robot and the UNI-CUB scooter. The Riding Assist technology doesn't use gyroscopes for balance since they can add a lot of weight to a vehicle.
"Today, we are showcasing for the first time our new Honda Riding Assist motorcycle. This technology was created based on our desire to create a motorcycle that gives people the joy of riding with total peace of mind, by greatly reducing the possibility of falling over," said Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, president of Global Honda R&D.
It is still not clear whether Honda has any plans to bring this self-balancing technology into production. Since the technology will be helpful for many, Honda may add the tech on its high end bikes in the near future.
