Honda is set to unveil its XR Mobility Experience at SXSW 2024 in Austin, Texas, from March 10 to 13, 2024. The experience will feature the UNI-ONE, a two-wheeled, self-balancing wheelchair, integrated with virtual reality (VR) goggles. Users will be able to navigate virtual worlds while experiencing real movement, enhancing the immersive virtual experience.
The XR Mobility Experience will showcase the potential uses of the UNI-ONE wheelchair for virtual reality and extended reality entertainment. The wheelchair features six wheels, with four small corner wheels providing stability in lowered mode and two larger drive wheels enabling self-balanced motion in raised mode. Users can steer the wheelchair using a joystick in both modes, with raised mode allowing for steering by leaning.
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In lowered mode, the wheelchair measures 30.3 x 26.8 x 30.3 inches (77.0 x 68.0 x 77.0 cm), while in raised mode, it measures 25.6 x 22.8 x 36.2 inches (65.0 x 58.0 x 92.0 cm). The raised mode lifts the seat height from 21.7 to 27.6 inches (55.0 to 70.0 cm), aligning the user’s eye line closer to that of a standing individual. The UNI-ONE weighs 154 pounds (70 kg) and can carry users weighing up to 242 pounds (110 kg). It has a range of 5 miles (8.0 km) at 2.5 mph (4.0 kph) and a maximum speed of 3.7 mph (6.0 kph).
The wheelchair’s main feature is the Honda Omni Traction Drive System (HOT Drive System), which consists of rings fitted around the main wheels. This system allows the wheelchair to move backward and forward while also enabling side-to-side movement, enabling the UNI-ONE to rotate 360 degrees in place.
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