We head to the Japan Mobility Show Kansai to take a closer look at the real, ridable Legendary Pokémon.
For old-school automotive fans, it can be a little depressing to see how many car shows have new rebranded themselves as “mobility shows.” But as the nature of transportation evolves, event organizers have to keep pace, and there is a silver lining in that not all “mobility” innovations are boring, appliance-like pods designed to shuttle us from Point A to Point B with as little excitement or emotional engagement as possible.
For example, at the Japan Mobility Show Kansai, held last weekend in Osaka, there were a pair of Pokémon on display.
These weren’t just statues, either, but functional motorcycles based on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Koraidon and Miraidon. These two Legendary species have been brought into the real world by Honda and Toyota, and they’re both actual ridable vehicles. Attendees could even hop onto them at the show to snap pictures.
The Koraidon was built by Honda, and made its first public run at the world-famous Suzuka Circuit this past summer. This was our first chance to see it with our own eyes, though, and we came away very impressed.
Not only does Koraidon look just like it does in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it has lifelike movements that make it seem like an organic creature, not just a machine.
When sitting idle, Koraidon makes subtle motions to give the impression that it’s breathing. It blinks its eyes and moves its head and jaw, all with a natural, non-rigid timing that avoids falling into robotic-feeling set patterns.
Aside from the awesome visuals, the Koraidon has some very cool tech, too. Thanks to Honda’s Honda Riding Assist system, it’s capable of self-balancing, and can self-drive at speeds up to 10 kilometers per hour (6.2 miles per hour). For when there’s a human rider, you might be wondering where the handlebars are, but there aren’t any. Instead, you steer the Koraidon simply by shifting your weight, which its sensors can detect and adjust Koraidon’s trajectory in accordance with. And though it’s a two-wheeled motorcycle, when the Koraidon is in motion its legs do move to make it appear like it’s running on all fours.
Next it was time to turn our camera lens towards the Miraidon, built by Toyota.
In contrast to the Koraidon, the Miraidon does stand on its four legs, or at least it does when it’s in “display mode,” as it was when we took these pictures, or in “limited mode,” when it walks at a leisurely pace of 3 kilometers per hour. When more speed is needed, the Miraidon can be equipped with wheels to enter “Drive Mode,” in which it can move not only forward but laterally too. The movements can actually be controlled with a Nintendo Switch controller, as a clever throwback to Miraidon’s origins.
▼ The digital display eyes are a cool design point too.
Sadly, there’s been no announcement about either the Koraidon or Miraidon being put into production and offered for sale to the general public. That said, if a store in Japan is going to be selling human washing machine pods in the near future, maybe a future in which we’ll be able to ride around on real-world Pokémon isn’t so far off.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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