Photo/Illutration Honda Motor Co.’s planned micromobility model (Provided by Honda Motor Co.)

Honda Motor Co. said it is developing a self-driving compact electric car equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) that automatically picks up passengers at any location of their choosing.

Honda plans to commercially release CiKoMa, a micromobility model, in 2030, providing a possible new means of transportation for Japan’s increasingly aging population.

Honda R&D Co., the automaker’s research arm, is designing the one- to two-passenger vehicle to run short distances at low speeds, putting it in the same category as sub-660cc minivehicles under the Road Transport Vehicles Law.

During a technical demonstration on Nov. 1, the speech-recognition system of a prototype CiKoMa was told to “come here.” The vehicle then neared a user.

But after detecting more than one person nearby, the vehicle asked whether the passenger “is looking at a smartphone” to pinpoint the one who wanted to take a ride.

In an area it identified as crowded, the automobile proposed parking itself “elsewhere.”

Operating the specialized handle at the driver’s seat turned the vehicle right and left.

CiKoMa is expected to be used not only in town but on the grounds of commercial complexes and parks under rental services.

To grasp surroundings, self-operating technology usually requires automobiles to compare information gained from car-mounted cameras and sensors with data from high-precision 3-D maps.

But such map data is pricey, making it difficult for cheaper models to remain profitable.

CiKoMa is expected to operate only with cameras.
A verification experiment will start in November in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, for the car’s development.

The municipality will provide support, such as offering a test site, because it wants to maintain a transit means for elderly residents.

“Vehicles that can go near home entrances will become far more necessary from now,” said Keiji Otsu, president of Honda R&D. “We will address that need in society through experiments, such as figuring out when and in what situation (the vehicles) will actually be needed.”

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