Results tagged “Toyota EV” from Electric Vehicle Authority

The Segway has been turning heads ever since it hit the main stream in 2001 with its debut on Good Morning America. Since then it has been spotted under the likes of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac (founders of Apple) playing Segway Polo and challenging the balancing abilities of George W. Bush at his family estate in Maine. Segway has long been viewed as a geek toy but slowly grown in acceptance as a security guard mount and disabled patron Rascal on steroids, it's even being sold at select Best Buy's now.

In August 2008 Toyota shared one of its newest robotics devices that is similar in design to the Segway. This personal EV fits somewhere between AI, butler and personal transport and is called the Winglet. While the newest Segways have followed a trend of being larger and more robust, offering off-road utility and rugged features like an SUV, the Winglet lineup from Toyota is smaller than any Segway and comes in three different sizes with a top speed of 3.7 mph vs. 12 mph. It can travel up three miles per charge (which is a bit less than the segway's 9 to 15) and is designed with a lower profile. The two smallest Winglets don't even have a handlebar interface, riders control the vehicle purely with their lower body as shown in the video near the end. This article first appeared on EV Authority.

You've got to admire Toyota's approach to this type of vehicle, due to the intelligent design and rider interface (as well as the future possibility of self charging, location mapping and even luggage transporting) they describe the Winglet as "a personal transport assistance robot ridden in a standing position". The description places the AI before the carriage so-to-speak and conjures thoughts of future robot vehicles that might look more like animals or other intelligent beings. Could you imagine a Toyota robot horse some day? If this description seems distantly familiar you might be having phantom memories of Sony's AIBO robot that was discontinued and severed from Sony's gadget lineup in early 2006. Sure, you couldn't ride on an AIBO but we all remember those grand ambitions that Sony set out - to beat the US professional Soccer Team with a team of intelligent robots. The AIBO was capable of finding it's own charging location and was the highest form of publicly available consumer ready AI at the time. To be honest, it hasn't always been so tough to beat the US Soccer team... but times have changed and tomorrow's robots might be better off transporting people to soccer games than competing in them. Sony sold its robotic division in late 2007 to TMC (Toyota Motor Corp.) so now Toyota is in charge and it's great to see that they have kept much of the same spirit of innovation and stewardship in their approach to AI and robots as Sony had. Toyota says its target market for the Winglet is elderly people in malls and airports but faced with the possibility of falling off and breaking a hip during transport, older people might be better off walking.

Segway's founder, Dean Kamen has suggested using his personal transporter, the Segway, to carry US Special Forces troops into Battle. Toyota's approach on the other hand, seems much more at home on a sidewalks, airports, and malls and is friendlier in its mission to "contribute to society by helping people enjoy a safe and fully mobile life". In terms of image, maybe the segway is evolving into a blackhawk while the Winglet takes over the posh appeal of a Vespa: cute, efficient, and stylish.


The biggest competitive advantage that I see for the Winglet is that the device might not be as noticeable and distracting as Segways have been. A Segway is clunky and almost impossible to pick up and move manually (the base model Segway HT weighs 95 lbs - 43 kg) the Winglet, on the other hand, weighs from 22 lbs - 9.9 kg to 27 lbs - 12.3 kg. The smallest model even folds sideways and features a handle to be carried much like a briefcase (shown in the picture above to the left of the lady). Say you need to put one of these devices in the trunk of your car or carry it up some stairs? A big part of the dork factor of the Segway is that it's wheels are stuck out on the sides making it clunky in crowds. It also elevates you way up above everyone you're walking with or around (which is belittling and distracting) and reminds me of a Roman charriot bent on the destruction of opposing jock forces at some fantasy high school football game.

It's not hard to see where the Winglet will excel and be differentiated from the Segway. Tests are already under way in Japan to move it towards mass use at a few public venues and the Winglet is currently being tested at the Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) near Nagoya. Toyota has scheduled further testing for late '09 early 2010.

GM has finally released photos of the long-awaited Chevy Volt series hybrid electric vehicle to mixed reviews. The production version of the Volt has a much less dramatic form than the concept car, and reminds viewers much more of the Toyota Prius parallel hybrid than the high-end sports car that it was originally intended to be, as suggested by the sleek profile of the concept and a price tag north of $40,000 before tax incentives.