Honda's "Project Courage" initiaitve has created an electric ride-on vehicle for kids. to use while at Children's Health of Orange County (CHOC Hospital). Dubbed "Shogo", the vehicle was designed and developed in-house by Honda engineers.
"As someone who spent time in the hospital as a young child, I really wanted the number one objective of our Honda team in developing Shogo to ease the hardship of a hospital stay by providing kids a lasting positive memory about that experience," said Randall Smock, a senior exterior designer of vehicles at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., who played a significant role in the design of the model.
"Every element of Shogo was designed to accommodate different needs of young children, making it as easy as possible to get in and out, simple to drive, and for the entire experience to leave them a bit happier."
the vehicle's name is based on a Japanese word meaning "soaring into the future." It was built to focus on young patients, ages four through nine, who can easily drive with power controls and manage the go/stop mechanism on the steering wheel. The Shogo's speed is controlled by a handler such as a nurse or caregiver and ranges from one to five miles per hour.
The in-hospital transport does not feature any doors but does have an IV pole holder and a push bar that offers caregivers the option to manually push the vehicle when needed.
It also features soft-to-the-touch surfacing, a toy bucket, cup holders, a center horn with different sound options and a customizable license plate slot to display the name of each rider.
Honda's engineers worked hand-in-hand with the staff at CHOC Hospital throughout testing to make sure the vehicle was best suited for the patients.
The automaker has a long-standing relationship with CHOC Hospital. In 2016, Honda utilized Oculus headsets to create a virtual reality "Candy Cane Lane" for patients. In 2017 and 2018 Honda used virtual reality technology to invite young patients inside a virtual snow globe.
Honda is not alone in its children's hospital initiatives. Hyundai's mini "45" electric vehicle (EV) was created to aid transportation at Hospital Sant Joan Deu Barcelona in Spain. The mini EV is equipped with a host of technology designed to identify children's emotions in real-time, wrap air pockets around the driver's body to apply gentle pressure (in an effort to help relieve anxiety) and a heart rate and breathing monitor. The vehicle also blows bubbles and emits a pleasant fragrance to enhance the child's experience.
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