At the recently concluded Japan Mobility Show, we were able to try out the Uni-One at Honda’s booth. This Wall-E-slash-wheelchair-looking thing is a hands-free personal mobility device that Honda has developed supposedly “for work, amusement, or leisure.”
While it isn’t available for purchase just yet, we’ve now learned that Honda will start actual testing later this week. There will be two Uni-One units deployed at the Gotemba Premium Outlets in Japan. These will be available for use via paid trials from November 10, 2023 until March 2024.
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The initial rollout is intended mainly for security personnel patrolling the location. Gotemba Premium Outlets is said to be the size of nine Tokyo Domes, so staff are often required to walk long distances, which is a point of concern especially for older employees.
Honda will use this opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the Uni-One in reducing fatigue among employees and improving communication with customers. The company will also examine the possibility of customer use in the future through IoT and digital technologies. This test could reveal the actual use cases of this innovative mobility device.
As mentioned earlier, we were able to try this out during the recent JMS in Tokyo. This device can go as fast as 4kph (can be set higher to 6kph) and has a weight limit of 110kg. Operation mainly just involves startup and shutdown, which is done through a small display attached to the device. To see just how exactly the Uni-One works, you can just check out the clip below.
