INNOVATION 53 54
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?Why stop when you reach the limit
Some innovations come from the heart. One Honda
engineer, who hated diesel engines so much, made
it his mission to revolutionise them. The i-CTDi sets
a new benchmark in diesel technology. High in
torque and low in fuel consumption, it’s unique closed
deck aluminium construction, one of the only aluminium
diesel engines on the market, offers power, cleanliness
and an incredibly low noise output, creating a level of
performance that rivals the very best in the market.
It’s part of our constant mission to reduce emissions
and create cleaner vehicles – like the FCX series.
These vehicles use hydrogen fuel cells as their power
source, producing only water as a by-product. When it
comes to engines, you don’t get much cleaner than that.
All these innovations are in constant development, and
there are new ideas being born every minute. We are
always looking to improve, to make our products
cleaner, safer, more efficient. It’s all part of our continuing
mission to push back the boundaries of science, to turn
inspirational ideas into reality.
Think of some of the world’s most innovative creations.
The people who made them dared to challenge
convention. At Honda, we let nothing get in the way
of a good idea. We encourage our designers to test the
boundaries of science as well as their own imaginations.
That’s why our cars, motorcycles, ATV’s, powerboat
engines and power equipment products are used the
world over, consistently winning new awards, new
accolades and new friends.
But it doesn’t stop there. After witnessing an aerobatics
display as a schoolboy our founder, Soichiro Honda,
dreamed of creating an aeroplane. Eighty-seven years
later our engineers are putting the finishing touches to
the HondaJet. True to Honda’s belief in finding solutions
through innovation and imagination, the jet challenges
standard aircraft design. Its HF118 turbofan engines
are located on the upper sides of the wings, part of
a groundbreaking design that reduces drag at high
speed and increasing fuel efficiency by 40%. This break
from conventional design also allows for 30% more
cabin space. It goes to show what you can achieve by
letting your imagination run free.
And then there’s ASIMO. Our famous robot. With his
ground breaking abilities in balance, manoeuvrability,
face and voice recognition, he represents our vision of
creating technologies that go way beyond our everyday
perceptions of transport and mobility.
Our latest inspiration comes in the form of an intelligent
night-vision system, which uses infrared cameras to
see in the dark and is the world’s first system to detect
pedestrians or moving, heat-emitting objects such as
animals that are in the vehicles path, or even judged
to be moving into that path. The system warns the
driver via an audio caution linked to a ‘heads-up’ display
above the dashboard.
On the ground our desire to innovate is as strong as
it’s ever been. This applies as much to bicycles as it
does to Formula 1 racing cars. On two wheels, we
have recently perfected the RN01 downhill mountain
bike, with its unique gearbox system that allows
cyclists to change gear without the need to pedal.
This revolutionary design was born out of an
Even when it comes to safety we look beyond the
expected. As one of the first manufacturers to develop
pedestrian safety technology, we continue to place
importance in this area. Our latest innovation is the
‘pop-up’ bonnet system. It uses sensors in the bumper
to indicate whether an impact with a pedestrian has
occurred. This triggers a mechanism that raises the
rear portion of the engine hood away from the hard
components found underneath it. Our Head Injury
Criteria are reduced by up to 40% when this system
is fitted.
enthusiastic idea that was allowed to flourish, rather
than a design requirement. On the track, our Formula
1 programme has seen young British contender
Jenson Button rise to the podium eight times so far
in the 2004 season, the Honda engines providing
credible and consistent rivalry to those of the
dominant Ferrari team.
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