Honda announced that it will participate in Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2024 to be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan from October 15 (Tuesday) to 18 (Friday), 2024.
Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2024 will be held as an event to promote new business co-creation by strengthening collaboration between companies. The Honda booth aims to communicate with participating and visiting companies by showcasing UNI-ONE capable of DX coordination such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and seek partners interested in selling / handling “SmaChari,” a service that converts conventional bicycles to be electrically assisted and connected by attaching an electric power assist unit and connecting a smartphone app.
Honda will also introduce IGNITION, a new business creation program aimed at solving social issues, and Honda Xcelerator Ventures, an open innovation program promoting collaboration between startup companies and Honda.
Main exhibits
UNI-ONE Hands-Free Personal Mobility
UNI-ONE is a seated personal mobility that allows the user to use both hands freely. Through Honda’s balance control technology developed from robotics research and the unique Honda Omni Traction Drive System, UNI-ONE users can walk at a height close to pedestrians while both hands are free, enabling communication with surrounding people while moving. UNI-ONE assists the mobility of various people, and creates the joy of freedom of mobility, enhancing the user’s desire to move. By adding a DX aspect to the UNI-ONE, Honda will search for, and communicate with, partners to provide a new future mobility experience.
SmaChari
SmaChari consists of a smartphone application and an electric power assist unit attached to a bicycle. It is the first of its kind in Japan*1 and enables various types of bicycles to be electrically assisted and connected through output control technology that complies with regulations. In addition, using a smartphone application, users can access a variety of functions and information utilizing the connected functionality, such as personalized assist output optimization, fault detection, ride data management, location information sharing, and owner information management.
Honda will provide SmaChari smartphone apps to customers, as well as various licenses to companies that manufacture and sell SmaChari-equipped bicycles, including technology related to the control software of the electric power-assist unit, and a paid connected platform to operate and manage SmaChari.
Honda aims to equip SmaChari on a wide range of bicycles in the future, and will continue to evolve the system.
*1 As of March 2023 (Honda research)
IGNITION
IGNITION is a new business creation program started by Honda R&D Co., Ltd. in 2017, which gives shape to the creative technologies, ideas, and designs of employees, leading to the solution of social issues and the creation of new values. In 2021, the program was expanded to cover all of Honda.
Since then, IGNITION expanded beyond Honda, and by combining ideas from outside the company with Honda’s technologies and expertise, the program aimed to further solve social issues and create new values. In 2024, Honda has selected three themes from applications to a public invitation, to help solve the social issues raised in the selected themes.
<Reference: Selected themes>
- Mobility that enables rapid standing-up and standing mobility, for people with lower limb motor function disabilities who have difficulty standing up and walking long distances (Yosuke Eguchi, Qolo Co., Ltd. CEO)
- Walking rehabilitation system for stroke patients that is easy to use and fun for rehabilitation (Prof. Yano, Virtual Reality Laboratory, University of Tsukuba)
- “Robiotope” aiming to protect nature by fostering a sense of attachment to nature and environmental awareness, through growing plants with robots in a biotope of their choice (Toki Kageyama, National Institute of Technology, Numazu National College of Technology)
Honda Xcelerator Ventures
Honda Xcelerator Ventures is Honda’s open innovation program that promotes collaboration between Honda and startup companies. Through this program, Honda is investing in and collaborating with a number of global venture companies with advanced technologies in Japan, North America, Europe, Israel, among other regions.
In April 2023, Honda established Honda Innovations Co., Ltd. in Japan to conduct global corporate venturing, and established a system for speedy investment and collaboration with startups that possess innovative technologies and ideas in conjunction with Honda’s corporate strategy.
Honda has allocated an annual budget on the scale of 10 billion yen to invest in startups and other companies with promising cutting-edge technologies and business models in areas such as AI, synthetic fuels, battery recycling, and nuclear fusion power generation, aiming to broaden the scope of its technologies and businesses in the future.
<Reference: Prior investments>
- Helm.ai (U.S.): AI image recognition technology based on unsupervised learning
- Emulsion Flow Technologies Ltd. (Japan): efficient extraction of rare metals from batteries
- nT-Tao (Israel): Developing small modular fusion power generation
In addition, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) will exhibit vehicles such as the CR-V e:FCEV fuel cell vehicle and the EM1 e: electric personal commuter motorcycle.
Honda Exhibits
| Honda booth | |
|---|---|
| Exhibited models | UNI-ONE |
| RAIL DISC-e with SmaChari | |
| Message | IGNITION |
| Honda Xcelerator Ventures | |
| JAMA’s member automobile manufacturers booth | |
| Exhibited models (All production models) |
CR-V e:FCEV |
| EM1 e: | |
| Honda Power Pack e: | |
| Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: | |
SOURCE: Honda
