A Japanese engineer just invented a nifty new way to travel: A transporter called a “WalkCar” that’s small, light and apparently easy to use.
The product is battery powered and is about the size of a laptop. And although it looks like it can’t hold much weight and is made from aluminum, it can apparently have as much as 265 lbs on board.
VentureBeat reported that it can go up to 6.2 miles per hour for up to 7.4 miles. It needs three hours to charge.
Creator Kuniako Saito told Reuters in an interview, “‘What if we could just carry our transportation in our bags, wouldn’t that mean we’d always have our transportation with us to ride on?’ and my friend asked me to make one, since I was doing my masters in engineering specifically on electric car motor control systems.”
Per VentureBeat:
Saito says customers will be able to reserve their own WalkCars from autumn 2015 on the crowd-funding website Kickstarter. The futuristic skateboard will have a price-tag of around 100,000 Japanese Yen (approx. $800 USD). Shipping is expected to begin by spring 2016.
You can see WalkCar in action here:
These Robots Have Their Own World Cup
Humanoid robots are seen at the Institute for Computer Science at the University of Bonn in Bonn July 3, 2014.Ina Fassbender—ReutersResearch associates Larry Vadakedathu and Qin He work with one of their RoboCup entries, a 5-foot-tall metal humanoid named THOR (Tactical Hazardous Operations Robot), in the adult-size league at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on July 7, 2014.Matt Rourke—APRobocup Junior teams in RoboCup Robot Soccer Championship on July 21, 2014.Lorena Travassos—Fotoarena/CorbisMembers of the Rhoban project's team check functions of a humanoid robot at the LaBRI workshop in Talence, France on July 7, 2014. Regis Devignau—ReutersPeople work on the software of humanoid robots during a photo opportunity at the Institute for Computer Science at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany on July 3, 2014. Ina Fassbender—ReutersStudents at the University of Pennsylvania work with one of their RoboCup entries known as Nao in Philadelphia on July 7, 2014.Matt Rourke—APThe first day of the RoboCup Robot Soccer Championship in João Pessoa, Brazil on July 21, 2014.Lorena Travassos—Fotoarena/CorbisA participant from the Netherlands prepares his humanoid robot for a soccer match in the international robotics competition in Tehran, Iran on April 10, 2014.Vahid Salemi—APHumanoid robots play during a soccer match while visitors follow the competition in the international robotics competition, RoboCup Iran Open 2014, in Tehran, Iran on April 10, 2014.Vahid Salemi—APTrophies won by humanoid robots at competitions are seen during a photo opportunity at the Institute for Computer Science at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany on July 3, 2014. Ina Fassbender—Reuters
