Honda reveals self-balancing bike

HONDA has used the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to display a self-balancing bike concept called the Honda Riding Assist Motorcycle, based on the NC750X.

It’s built with knowhow and resource from Honda’s robotics lab, which developed the Asimo robot. As you can see in the video, the bike is capable of remaining rubber side up a standstill, with a rider on it, and with no rider present.

Honda’s name for this witchcraft is ‘Moto Riding Assist technology’. Rather than being full of heavy gyroscopes, the Riding Assist Motorcycle employs and adapted version of the technology used in Honda’s concept UNI-CUB personal mobility device and Asimo. Unlike the NC750X, the forks are at a slacker angle to aid stability and are connected to a motor which adjusts the forks to maintain balance.

The technology in this working concept means that riders won’t need to actively work at maintaining balanced at very low speeds, so reducing the risk of tipping over or becoming unbalanced.

Interestingly, Honda’s video also shows the Riding Assist Motorcycle following an engineer out of a building on its own, at walking speed. That means it also employs some additional technology that enables it to follow a specific person or programmed route, which opens up the possibility of having a bike that’ll come to you when you want to ride it and put itself away once you’re done.