No NSXs in Tokyo, so...

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Just back from another trip to Tokyo. Not a single NSX seen (and last year I only saw one). Anyway, there was plenty of exotica on the street, especially showing off around Shibuya. I spied two F40s, Diablos, Aventador, plus various lesser Ferraris and Maseratis.

Took myself off to the Honda display at Aoyama Itchome, partly to see Asimo and partly to see the FCEV. It's still a little OTT-concept and the rear end reminds me a bit of the Citroen GT concept that you can see in the Champs Elysee showroom. Not quite sure what will come out of this, but there are some styling cues that reflect the 2015 NSX. (Including the wheels.)

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I also saw the latest Honda Kei car, the N-one/N-box. Phenomenal packaging in such a small amount of space. Makes my Aygo seem very wasteful (and it's a step up in quality from the Aygo, too). It's a real shame that these aren't imported to the UK. :(

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The FC bit of the FCEV is very, very small in this latest incarnation. It's a box that's not a lot bigger than an old desktop PC case. Energy density is way up on early models - 2kW/kg.

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One of the most charming things about Japan is how technology is explained through mascots, people, animals, spirits, etc. And so it was here, with Mr Honda borrowing Brussels' Manneken Pis to illustrate the FC. :)

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The display on the child's torso is animated and shows how the hydrogen and oxygen are combined, where the energy goes and what the output is.

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Asimo's performance was impressive enough. He's now down to 50kg (neodym magnets?) He runs, jumps and hops, but that's as far as the demonstration went. At least he's fast enough to defeat my camera's non-flash shutter speed. :)

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The other demo was the Uni-Cub, the latest version of Honda's post-Segway personal mobility device. You sit on it and your body's balance (or the remote control handset) dictates the motors' direction. The really clever bit is how the large main wheels are made up of a ring of tiny wheels orientated at 90-degrees to the direction of the main wheels. This allows the device to move in any direction. I still feel it's a solution looking for a problem, but I like how Honda is persevering with these technologies.

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