Name: Winglet
Category: Personal transportation device
Price: ?
Release date in Japan: 2010?

Look out, Segway. Someone's trying to do you one better, and it's none less than transportation powerhouse TOYOTA.

The Segway two-wheeled personal transporter made waves when released in late 2001, though it hasn't yet revolutionized urban transportation anywhere near the way that some predicted. Still, there's a lot of potential in energy-thrifty people carriers that don't take up much more space than a person alone does. Gazing toward that future, on August 1 TOYOTA revealed three configurations of its variation on the Segway concept, the Winglet.

A "next-generation mobility tool", the Winglet falls under the TOYOTA Personal Robot division, which a year ago absorbed Sony's unprofitable robotics business. The device isn't too coy about borrowing from the Segway: there's a similar two-wheeled platform to stand on, internal gyroscopes that make the device self-balancing, and sensors that read the user's body position to steer the vehicle. From there, the Winglet takes some interesting departures. Light weight and small size are at Winglet's core, with its A3 paper-sized footprint (about the size of two pieces of standard office paper side by side), and its tiny wheels (watch out for obstacles over 2-cm high). Unlike the Segway and its hands-on steering column, Winglet steering is dependent upon body position only; two of the three concept models are entirely hands-free.

The squat Type S weighs only 9.9 kg, achieves a range of 5 km, and has a legs-only "steering column" that doesn't even reach the knees. The larger Type M boosts the steering column to knee height, while the similar-sized Type L offers a full-height column for resting the hands (presumably to aid stability). Both M and L weigh 12.3 kg and have a 10-km range.

The Winglet travels at no faster than 6 km/hour, less than a third the Segway's top speed, and the above ranges are far less than the maximum 40 km claimed for a Segway i-series. On the other hand, the Winglet is far lighter than a 48-kg Segway, and recharges in only 1 hour compared to about 10 for the Segway.

Low-speed, convenient, short-distance zipping through crowded streets - that's what TOYOTA appears to have in mind. The Winglet may not have the potential shown by the Segway for police, postal, and other serious work, but with its low speed and small size, might find better regulatory acceptance as safe, practical sidewalk transportation. (While the Segway is undergoing testing programs in Japan, actual street use currently categorizes the Segway as a small motorcycle, which would require a license plate and the addition of signal lights and brakes.) It's practical for hilly areas too, says TOYOTA, able to climb 20-degree slopes.

From here out, TOYOTA plans user tests for the Winglet, including evaluation programs at Chubu International Airport and a marine resort from this fall. Commercialization by 2010 is the goal, so stay tuned to see whether TOYOTA makes the move from Japan's streets to its sidewalks and parks.

More info: http://www.toyota.co.jp/jp/news/08/Aug/nt08_045.html (Japanese)
Winglet in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VqV2z7dq3M
Segway: http://www.segway.com/

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