New Delhi: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the establishment of Striemo Inc., the second business venture to originate from Ignition, Honda’s new business creation program.
Striemo Inc. has been developing a one-person, three-wheeled electric micro-mobility product, also named “Striemo,” which features an original balance assist mechanism that enables stable riding with less likelihood of falling through its entire speed range, from walking slowly to riding a bicycle.
Striemo is scheduled to go on sale in Japan before the end of this year, and in Europe in 2023, a company statement said.
“Striemo is a new mobility product developed while leveraging know-how in the area of “human studies,” which I amassed through my experience in the development of motorcycles at Honda. My goal is to make Striemo one of the most commonly used mobility products in people’s everyday lives around the world and create a better world where people enjoy the freedom of mobility,” said Yotaro Mori, Co-Founder & CEO, Striemo Inc.
Striemo enables stable riding with less likelihood of falling through its entire speed range, from walking slowly to riding a bicycle, by featuring a structure that makes it easier for the user to maintain balance spontaneously. This unique structure was realized through precise design where the center of gravity balance is calculated based on one-tenth of a millimeter and an original balance assist mechanism developed for Striemo.
Ignition is the automaker’s new business creation program which gives shape to the original technologies, ideas and designs of Honda associates to contribute to solving societal issues and creating new value for customers and society. The program started in 2017.
In principle, the decision on commercialization is made within a 6-month period, during which a task force team consisting of internal specialists will be formed to support each proposer.
In 2020, an option to start a new business venture was added to the program to realize the earliest possible real-world implementation of ideas. In 2021, Ashirase, Inc.* was established as the first business venture that originated from Ignition.
In order to ensure the independence of the startup, the ratio of capital contribution by Honda will be limited to no more than 20%.
“Through our Ignition program, Honda will support Mori in realizing his passion through a new challenge of starting his own business venture. Honda will continue accelerating our open innovation initiatives and generate a fresh breeze for our business development,” added Shinji Aoyama, Chief Juror, Ignition program and Senior Managing Executive Officer Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
*Ashirase, Inc. is a developer of “Ashirase” in-shoe navigation systems which support the visually impaired with walking. The company is aiming to begin sales of Ashirase navigation system before the end of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.