Evolving the World’s Best Wheelchair Racer Even More: Insatiable Spirit to Explore the Unknown

Honda sponsors wheelchair athletes who compete in international competitions. Wheelchair racers (competition wheelchairs) made by Honda contribute to these athletes’ success. This issue of Honda Stories explores the passion of two developers striving to further evolve the wheelchair racer which has already achieved the highest level of evolution.

Evolving the “Base” through the Know-How of Many

“Kakeru,” the current flagship model in Honda’s wheelchair racer lineup, is the culmination of years of research and technology. Yet, Gomi and Ikeuchi are working hard to develop the next model.

Gomi: Ikeuchi, myself, and Jun Tanaka, in charge of design, are leading the effort together with Mothersun Yachiyo Automotive Systems Co.., Ltd. (Yachiyo) and Honda Sun Co., Ltd., who take care of sales.

Ikeuchi: The current Kakeru is the result of evolution at the highest level. But, we want to make something better. So, we’re taking on the challenge with new members to start development from scratch.

Since each athlete has a different physique and paralysis symptoms, Yachiyo is in charge of adjustments for each athlete. Ikeuchi and his team’s mission is to create the basic technology that will act as its base.

Ikeuchi: After gathering data on athletes’ body shapes, we need to create a model of that represents what is common. We need to create a base that is not only easy to adjust for each athlete, but also ensures that performance will not change significantly after adjustments are made.

Gomi: Wheelchair racers incorporate technologies from various areas that Honda has cultivated, such as racing cars and bikes, and HondaJet. Ikeuchi is a specialist in human measurement, and Tanaka is a designer who has built his career with motorcycles. I have worked on structural design and reducing body weight with CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) for automobiles. We are trying to create something completely new by combining everyone’s know-how.

Creating Synergy through Cultivated Technologies and Research Data

Gomi had been in charge of automobile body research and design. He became involved in the planning of welfare vehicles when he worked on structural research using CFRP, an ultra-lightweight material.

Gomi: I thought that if CFRP was such a wonderful material, why can’t we use it in areas nearer to humans? Advanced technology should be used in the field of welfare. Later, I became involved because a member of my research team was working on the development of wheelchair racers.

After joining Honda, Ikeuchi, who majored in biomedical engineering as a student, began his career by developing wearable robots such as powered suits and rehabilitation robots. Later, after developing a walking motion measurement system, he became involved in developing a wheelchair push power measurement system.

Ikeuchi: Measuring force reveals the quality of movement. I thought this might be useful in finding ways to improve the performance of wheelchair athletes, so I started research on the push power measurement system*. We were able to unveil it for the first time in the world at the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon held in November 2024. Currently, we are developing the measurement system based on our research on measuring people, imagining the synergy of what a racer should be.

※ Measuring device that is attached to the wheels of a wheelchair racer to quantify every kind of data that affect the wheelchair racer’s performance, such as the difference in pedaling force between right and left and the timing of maximum speed.

Related??Honda Develops World’s First Push Power Measurement System to Enhance Ability of Wheelchair Athletes

Back to the Basics Again and Again

Many wheelchair athletes supported by Honda have competed on the world stage. They have won international competitions and achieved many impressive results that make them literally the best in the world.

Ikeuchi: I am happy to hear athletes thank us for the “wonderful racers.” Above all, I am glad that the racers were able to compete at their maximum potential.

Gomi: To win, you need to go fast, and I think that takes courage to overcome fear. The fact that they believed in our technology and had the courage to put it to the test is a great honor as a researcher.

?

How to create a model better than Kakeru, which has achieved such brilliant results: that is the high hurdle that Gomi and Ikeuchi are currently facing.

Gomi: The only way to success is to objectively confirm what is theoretically correct at each step. Even if it is the opposite of what is intuitively right, if it is theoretically right, then you have to try that method.

Then, by incorporating the push power measurement data that Ikeuchi has cultivated into the path of theoretical correctness, we aim to evolve it into a new model.

?

Ikeuchi: Wheelchair racers are powered by the athletes, so the key is how to bring out their best performance. We believe that the role of push power measurement will be important in determining the best position and structure.

Proving the Technology and Contributing to the World

Ikeuchi received the 2023 Biomechanical Society of Japan Best Paper Award for his paper, “Development of a push power measurement system for wheelchair track and field athletes.” Gomi will complete his doctoral thesis in 2023, and the two are evolving with an unabated spirit of curiosity. Where does this driving force come from?

Ikeuchi: I want to make the world a better place through human measurement, and I also want to prove my skills. Honda is in a wide range of businesses, so once a technology is proven, there are endless possibilities for application. I want to contribute to the world while proving my technology in this way.

Gomi: The more you know about technology, the more questions you have, so you have no choice but to keep exploring. In the future, when quantum computers become available, technology will evolve explosively, and I can’t help but be intrigued.

What is your dream once you have continued to move forward with an overflowing spirit of curiosity and energy?

Gomi: I want more people to see wheelchair racers and think, “I want to get out there too.” I also want to create technology that will allow people to continue to drive safely even at an advanced age. Through mobility, I would like to create opportunities for everyone to get out into society in good health.

Ikeuchi: I want to make a solid contribution to Honda with the technologies we have cultivated. The keyword for this is the “unexplored zone.” I would like to step into the unexplored zone more and more while advancing our technology. Scientific training for wheelchair athletics is still in its infancy, so in a sense it is an unexplored zone. I would like to contribute to making wheelchair athletics more attractive as a sport while athletes give me power to continue.

“Never forget to research and work tirelessly.” With an insatiable spirit of inquiry, we will continue to embody the Honda Philosophy as we pursue our dreams for the future.

* Originally published: December 16, 2024