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Honda's Uni-Cub hacked to be a boombox and a personal guide

Honda has a history of developing technology that strays from its famous car and motorcycle lines. A few years ago, the company added to that legacy of gadgets that aren't cars by introducing the Uni-Cub personal mobility device. It was more or less a Segway that did away with the whole standing thing, meaning that riders simply had to sit down and lean in whatever direction they wanted to go. That's all well and good, but Honda wanted to see what else the device could be used for, so the company updated the mobility chair to allow other people to code applications for it. Then Honda hosted a hack-a-thon for people to come out and see what they could do with it. Based on the video above, it seems plenty of people have ideas for the little wheeled wonder. One team developed the perfect party companion by attaching a speaker to the Uni-Cub and creating an app that would let people upload tracks to a playlist from their phone. And since the Uni-Cub is mobile, it can bring the tunes to wherever the people are. All it needs now are some cup holders. Another team developed a way to get people around new, confusing office buildings by turning the Uni-Cub into a guide. Upon entering a building, a person can request a Uni-Cub to come pick them up and then hop on to take a ride to their destination. The Uni-Cub can then return to its home base, and, if the person programs it ahead of time, can return on its own to take the user back to the entrance. Of course this would mean no more excuses to showing up late to a meeting. None of these ideas are planned for any sort of production, but they certainly are interesting. That said, our favorite Uni-Cub application remains the video for OK Go's "I Won't Let You Down". You should probably just go watch that one again. Related Video: Image Credit: Honda Auto News Green Honda Technology Videos personal mobility honda uni-cub

Honda gunning for world's longest Rose Parade float

Honda has participated in the annual Rose Parade for the past 53 years and returns this year as the presenting sponsor for the fourth time running. But it's not satisfied merely putting its name on the event; Honda intends to lead from the front with what promises to be the longest float in the parade's long history.
The float, previewed in the rendering above, will measure 274 feet long, as tall as 30 feet high, as wide as 18 feet and weighing a whopping 50 tons with 8,980 flowers covering its surface. The train will be led by a locomotive designed to mimic the Acura NSX, with Asimo at the wheel. The second car in the train showcases a Honda engine, followed by a robotic arm, and, for the first time in the parade's history, a pair of 30-foot LED monitors displaying images of spectators lining the parade route. A caboose inspired by the Honda Jet will pick up the rear.
Oh, and in case you're wondering just who Honda will be knocking off the record books with its 274-foot train of roses, that would be... also Honda. The Japanese company set the record in 2005 with a 207-foot float. Scope out the details in the press release below and click the image above to view in high resolution.

Honda next to open museum to Google Street View

Had your fill of tooling around the Lamborghini Museum on Google Street View? Maybe Italian supercars aren't your thing? Then we've got good news, because The House That Ferruccio Built isn't the only automotive museum in cyberspace: now the Honda Collection Hall has opened its doors to the crew from Mountain View, too.
The Honda Collection Hall, for those who haven't made it out to Japan's Tochigi Prefecture, is a grand three-story museum dedicated to all things Honda. It's located at the Twin Ring Motegi, and has been open since 1998. Inside visitors will find everything from robots and scooters to SUVs and racing cars. But if you can't make it there in person, you can check out all three levels of floorspace on Street View right from the comfort of your home. Check out the images above and the interactive map below.