No more Motion Sickness: Honda's mobility device drives you through Virtual Reality
Driving fun in Virtual Reality. Honda unveiled an XR Mobility Experience controlled by body movement.
At SXSW 2024, Honda is showcasing the XR Mobility Experience, a combination of Virtual Reality and a "personal mobility device". The Uni-One is essentially a moving chair that balances itself using sensors. It can be controlled without the use of hands, purely by body posture.
The Uni-One steers based on how far you lean in a given direction. The seat can be raised and lowered. In the low position, four auxiliary wheels provide support, otherwise the Uni-One runs on two wheels only. The mobile seat is battery powered, has a top speed of 3.7 miles per hour (approx. 6 km/h) and a maximum user load of 242 pounds (approx. 110 kg).
On a single charge, the vehicle can travel 5 miles (about 8 km) at an average speed of 2.5 miles per hour (about 4 km/h). Visitors to SXSW will be able to try out the Uni-One and drive and "fly" through VR worlds in a Meta Quest Pro. Motion sickness could be a thing of the past — provided you have enough space.
Check out the trailer below to see what you can expect.
Honda is currently planning to commercialize the Uni-One in the U.S. and sees potential applications primarily in amusement parks, shopping malls, or as a motion device for XR games. The company is also looking for experienced AR and VR developers to create custom applications for the Uni-One.
Honda also uses VR in design processes
Honda has been working with XR for some time, using virtual reality to improve vehicle design, among other things. According to Honda, the use of VR shortens the design process and allows designers to avoid travel and work on prototypes remotely. Honda has already opened two VR studios, one in Tokyo and one in Torrance, California.
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