A Japanese inventor has unveiled a new type of transportation vehicle, the WalkCar – when the future is taking over, all you can do is go with it. It’s a simple idea really, but one that is sure to raise al lot of eyebrows, and possibly even sell.
As we’re starting to see more and more ideas that come straight out of sci-fi movies and novels, it may be time to realize that we’re beginning to catch up with the fictional years within, and that the inventions that once baffled readers and movie-goers worldwide are starting to take shape.
We’ve just finished staring in awe at Lexus’s hover board. A new bike now has the ability to go kamikaze if anyone tries to steal it. The Segway is already old news. As is the IO Hawk. So, it was clearly time for another small, personal electrical vehicle, right?
It seems that that is exactly what Japanese engineer Kuniako Saito thought when he designed the WalkCar. Sure it may look like an iPad, or a laptop with wheels. Rest assured, nobody wants to make you ride your iPad to work. But, design wise, it was the choice to go for.
You see, there’s a problem in Japan. People ride bicycles. Like anywhere else in the world. They like to take their bikes to work, yet may get to their office or workplace by train. In Japan there is a rule against bicycles on trains, unless you can dismantle them. The WalkCar comes to solve this problem.
Being so small, it easily fits in your bag. That was the original idea behind it, according to Saito. He and his team at Cocoa Motors thought about people having their choice of motorized transportation always with them.
So, the Tokyo engineers designed a wheeled plate that weighs just between 4.4 and 6.6 pounds (depending on which version you choose). It can reach speeds of 6.2 mph, or 10 km/h, and can go as long as 7.4 miles after it’s been charged for three hours. It carries a Lithium-Ion battery, just like a laptop, so you know you won’t have problems with it.
It’s extremely easy to control. Step on or off to switch it on or off, and use your body weight to steer. Easy. And it can even climb pretty steep roads. The biggest problem for those who give the designers $800 in the fall (when it will be released) is that they might get pretty big in size in a short period of time, seeing as they won’t burn by far the same amount of calories as with walking.
Image source: time.com