On a Toyota Winglet and a prayer

No sign of an I, robot, but there’s an L, M and S, robot for adrenalin-seeking, future-living motorists out there with not an inkling of street cred as Toyota’s latest transportation device wings into view.

Toyota has revealed its answer to inner city congestion, and it goes by the name of the Winglet, and, according to the entire PR blurb is something called a ‘personal transport assistance robot’. It comes in three portable sizes and clearly takes its styling cues from a random selection of unlikely sources.

Toyota insists it has invented the three models to illustrate the needs of each type of buyer – the practical, to hands-free to sporty set-up being clear for all to see.

Sadly we seem not to have noticed that, instead dwelling on the fact that in our estimation the Winglet L robot bears an uncanny resemblance to a pogo stick, whilst the Winglet M robot comes across all Early Learning play frame-ish. Not to be outsmarted, we are of the opinion that the Winglet S robot appears to have been built from a Dyson blueprint for a dust-eating domestic device.

Aimed hard and fast at the future youth market, the triumvirate of Toyota Winglet’s is neither scary looking from any aspect, nor anything more than pedestrian in terms of velocity, yet to be avoided on pavements outside Post Offices where they’ll be doing the briskest – ahem – of business amongst the grey brigade.

For all the intense – and none of the purpose – the Toyota Winglets are Segways for 2010 onwards. In much the same way that the hoverboard was the solution for Marty McFly’s transportational problems back in the future day. Still in the developmental stages they’re akin to stand-on scooters that are to be ridden in an upright position and that can ‘cruise’ at speeds of 4mph.

Operation and direction-ascertaining is similar to the Segway’s too, in as much as the driver/rider/fool gives the Winglet the appropriate directional signal – via a parallel link mechanism - simply by shifting their body weight according to which way they wish to travel. This is said to expand the driver’s range of mobility, yet irreversibly hamper those who cross its path.

An A3 paper-proportioned body – length as opposed to thickness we hope – houses an electric motor (that once charged within 1 hour has a range of 10km), two wheels and internal sensors that continually address the user’s gait and torso’s demeanor. Although there body language will be telling its own story. Stability is assured at all times by these perpetual adjustments that argue with Newton’s most famous theory.

Toyota plans various technical and consumer-based road trials so as to invite feedback during the next projected phases of the Winglet’s long journey to production, and is rather proud of the Winglet for being one of the Japanese car manufacturers’ people-assisting Partner Robots.

For those who didn’t know, the Toyota Partner Robot programme has been implemented has an integral part of the firm’s approach to 'monozukuri'("making things"), which includes its mobility, production and other technologies.