London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

Honda Plans to Make Self-Driving Micro Cars for People Who Can't or Won't Drive

Honda Plans to Make Self-Driving Micro Cars for People Who Can't or Won't Drive

Honda is testing out tiny autonomous cars in Japan that are meant to appeal to old and young people alike. The so-called “micro-mobility devices” are part of Honda’s attempt to branch out to those who can no longer drive themselves or are otherwise uninterested in cars, such as the elderly or the members of Gen Z.

Honda is testing out tiny autonomous cars in Japan that are meant to appeal to old and young people alike. The so-called “micro-mobility devices” are part of Honda’s attempt to branch out to those who can no longer drive themselves or are otherwise uninterested in cars, such as the elderly or the members of Gen Z, according to Bloomberg.

Japan is currently undergoing a shortage of workers as folks retire and exit the workforce; many of them are no longer able to drive themselves to work, and have withdrawn from social settings for the same reason. Honda’s small AVs could help older people rejoin society, and also help them regain their mobility safely with Honda’s CiKoMa and WaPOCHI, which are passenger cars and a robot that tracks and helps pedestrians navigate a given setting.



What the CiKoMa ride-in micro-mobility vehicle can do

Honda cites Japan’s aging population, declining birthrate and the global pandemic as a few of the reasons why it sees the need for small self-driving EV and AVs, which people can hail and even depend on for basic transportation.

Honda recently started testing out its micro-mobility device at public parks in Japan, where the automaker says automotive AI has difficulty traveling over unclear roads and paths. The four-passenger model being tested is one of the larger AV models, known as CiKoMa, but Honda plans to make single and multiple passenger versions of these micro cars by 2030. Well, “devices” would be more appropriate since people won’t drive these in the traditional sense.

Riders will simply call on CiKoMa, and wait as the car drives itself to the rider using a suite of AI hardware, including camera arrays that eliminate the need for high-definition maps. CiKoMa will not rely on maps or servers that transmit remote data; the tiny robot car will rely on sensors to produce local data that’s immediately and constantly analyzed to help it “decide” a route and even make suggestions. It’s closer to what many would consider a true self-driving car; the big difference is that Honda’s tiny machines are not easily recognizable as cars.

In their current state, Honda’s micro AVs look more like golf carts or UTVs. But Honda thinks these machines have a place in cities and urban environments of the future. Golf carts have proven useful in certain settings outside of the golf course — even in the U.S., where small cars are becoming less and less popular.

Indeed, driving (or being driven in) a golf cart among large vehicles on public roads looks like a disaster waiting to happen. But Honda says this is what mobility for all looks like: a mixture of EVs and AVs driven by people who are still interested and capable of driving themselves, in, say, a Honda e, and a lineup of micro-mobility devices capable of recognizing riders or users through sight and biometrics.

Honda says CiKoMa and WaPOCHI will even be capable of having “human-like” exchanges. It’s unclear if Honda can develop these devices in eight short years, but, at least, it’s good to know that the spirit of ASIMO lives on in these robots.

Comments

Oh ya 3 year ago
World governments need to ban all self driving cars. If you are too lazy or cant drive yourself you should just us public transport. Tesla and all other manufacturers needs to stop this either voluntarily or by laws passed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×