CES 2017: Honda self-balancing motorcycle concept

Is this the future of motorcycling?

Over the past few years, there has been a lot of hue and cry about self-driving cars and how they are the future of automobiles. The trend is spreading like wildfire, so much that non-automobile manufacturers like Google and Apple too want to join the bandwagon. While this technology gives us a sneak peek of what the future of cars is like, what about motorcycles?

Honda has flaunted its Uni-Cub, a motorised unicycle concept that can be used for personal mobility, for quite a few years now. Expanding on the same concept, Honda showcased a self-balancing motorcycle at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017. Media at the CES 2017 were introduced to it as the self-balancing motorcycle followed a riderless Uni-Cub to take centre stage.

Research suggests that motorcycle accidents are 27 times higher and more fatal than car accidents. The self-balancing technology could possibly give motorcycles improved safety by keeping the rider and the motorcycle upright. And then there is also the convenience of never having to put the motorcycle on a stand. At the official unveiling, a Honda spokesperson said this might just be the stepping stone for self-riding motorcycles wherein the bike would find its own parking spot once the rider gets off the curbside. This concept doesn’t make use of gyroscopes as it is bound to add weight to the motorcycle. Instead, Honda uses its own technology which uses struts on either side of the motorcycle. Honda says, if this technology is to be used on a production bike, these struts will have to be refined and improved.