JUST LEAN AND GO - HANDS-FREE

+ Click to Enlarge INTO THE FUTURE - AT 6KM/H: Toyota is planning three versions of its Winglet: (from left) the "M" and "S" ("sporty and hands-free") and the "L" ("practical") models.

August 3, 2008

Toyota has shown a prototype of a motorised stand-up-and-ride device designed for scooting around malls and airports.

It said it would start testing the Winglet later in 2008 at a Japanese airport and resort complex and at a shopping mall in 2009 to get feedback from consumers.

Toyota executive Takeshi Uchiyamada, who scooted on to the stage at Friday's media conference in Tokyo on a Winglet, said there were no plans yet to market the machine and no prices had been set.

The Winglet looks very similar to a Segway and uses the same "lean the way you want to go" system of gyros and sensors to control forward and backward movement but has a simple parallel-link mechanism for steering.

It consists of a three-part body 265mm long and 464mm wide (about the size of an A3 sheet of paper), containing an electric motor, two wheels, batteries and control mechanisms.

A control arm attached to the centre section of the body projects upwards; when pulled to one side it operates the parallel linkage, tilting the wheels and steering the Winglet to that side.

The footboards are separate, unlike the single central platform of the Segway, but the linkage keeps them parallel to the ground in the sideways plane while allowing them to tilt fore-and-aft like a Segway for acceleration.

It's a lot slower than a Segway, with a quoted top speed of 6km/h compared to the Segway's 20km/h, but uses the same "lean back to stop" mechanism to stop quickly and smoothly, making it safe in crowded pedestrian areas.

Toyota has built three prototypes – ranging from "practical" to "hands-free sporty", using the same mechanism but with different control handles.

The "L" is much the same as a Segway, with a long, tubular stem reaching to waist height incorporating a pair of hand-grips at the top, but the "M" and "S" version have shorter, padded stems intended to be held between the rider's knees (on the "M") or calves (on the "S").

Cruising range, says Toyota, is 5km for the "S" and 10km for the "M" and "L" models; charge time is an hour.

There will also be a folding version intended to be carried on commuter trains or in the boot of a car. - Sapa-AP