Honda will showcase a new approach autonomous mobility with the NeuV Concept at the2017 Consumer Electronics Show. The company will also tout a new vehicle interface system and will talk about its growing efforts in robotics and partnerships with mobility startups.
The big attraction, however, will be the NeuV which is a “concept automated EV commuter vehicle equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) called ‘emotion engine’ that creates new possibilities for human interaction and new value for customers.”
Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, president of Honda Global R&D said “the NeuV autonomous EV mini–vehicle concept creates new possibilities for our customers. Most privately-owned vehicles sit idle 96 percent of the time. So, the NeuV can function autonomously as a ride sharing vehicle. The NeuV could also sell energy back to the electric grid during times of high demand when the vehicle is not in use. These activities create a new business model for enterprising customers.”
The artificial intelligence embedded in NeuV is called the Honda Automated Network Assistant (HANA). Matsumoto explained that “using HANA, the NeuV can learn from you, detecting the emotions behind your judgments, and then use your past decisions as the basis for selecting new choices.” These choices could be as varied as offering recommendations for destinations, reserving tables, ordering items in advance for pickup and even selecting the entertainment based on length of the ride and destination.
