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Transportation Japan

Japanese Engineer Develops 'WalkCar,' a Mini-Segway 103

Posted by Soulskill from the for-if-you-ever-wanted-to-skateboard-on-a-macbook dept.
rtoz writes: A Japanese engineer has developed a portable transporter small enough to be carried in a backpack that he says is the world's first 'car in a bag'. The lithium battery-powered "WalkCar" device is the size of a laptop and resembles a skateboard more than a car. According to the Reuters report, the slender WalkCar is made from aluminum and weighs between two and three kilograms , depending on whether it is an indoor or outdoor version. The aluminum board and can take loads of up to 120kg., and it reaches top speeds of 10 kilometers per hour, for distances of up to 12 kilometers after three hours of charging. When a rider stands on it, the WalkCar starts automatically, while simply stepping off stops the vehicle. To change direction, the user just shifts their weight.

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Japanese Engineer Develops 'WalkCar,' a Mini-Segway More

Japanese Engineer Develops 'WalkCar,' a Mini-Segway

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  • Neat (Score:2)

    by Otome ( 2999075 )
    Looks like fun but 12km really isn't very far, especially if you want to ride it to your destination and back, in which case you can only go places up to 6km away.

    • Re:Neat (Score:4, Insightful)

      by TWX ( 665546 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:36PM (#50276705)
      Honestly, if the point is to somewhat replace walking then this isn't that bad of a range. Convert to miles and round-down, that's a range of about three and a half miles one-way. I live in fairly low-density suburbia and within that range are dozens of strip-malls and corner commercial properties, several doctors' and dentists' offices, probably a dozen grocery stores ranging from Whole Foods at the high-end to a low-end Food City at the bottom end, plus movie theatres, restaurants of all varieties, and the primary and secondary schools for which my home is districted. I may not use one as my commute is farther than this thing's range and I tend to do a lot of my shopping on my way home, but for someone living in the neighborhood that isn't going very far and doesn't need to take a whole lot with them something like this might actually work, especially if parking is routinely a headache at the destination.

      What I didn't see in the video was how stepping on to it starts it moving. They cut right as he starts to step-on at the beginning. That initial kick from being still to moving is probably one of the riskier parts of using this, I want to see how someone older or someone a little less sure-footed handles it. I also want to see more varied terrain, like transitioning between sidewalks and crosswalks down sloped curbs and over those bump patterns for the blind.

      • You're worried about starting? What about stopping? I'm too tired & drunk to work out whether I can even run that fast in silly units, but I suspect that even if could the distance it'd take me to get off the damn thing, transition to running and then transition to not running might add up to half a football field.

        • Its about 6 MPH, which is about double normal walk speed, and about the average speed of jogging. So I imagine that the transition isnt too bad, as its far from a dead sprint. You could probably slow yourself in a 2 - 5 paces for the average person. Obviously YMMV, but I dont think stopping transition is going to be a huge issue for most people.

      • Honestly, if the point is to somewhat replace walking then this isn't that bad of a range. Convert to miles and round-down, that's a range of about three and a half miles one-way. I live in fairly low-density suburbia and within that range are dozens of strip-malls and corner commercial properties, several doctors' and dentists' offices, probably a dozen grocery stores ranging from Whole Foods at the high-end to a low-end Food City at the bottom end, plus movie theatres, restaurants of all varieties, and the primary and secondary schools for which my home is districted. I may not use one as my commute is farther than this thing's range and I tend to do a lot of my shopping on my way home, but for someone living in the neighborhood that isn't going very far and doesn't need to take a whole lot with them something like this might actually work, especially if parking is routinely a headache at the destination.

        What I didn't see in the video was how stepping on to it starts it moving. They cut right as he starts to step-on at the beginning. That initial kick from being still to moving is probably one of the riskier parts of using this, I want to see how someone older or someone a little less sure-footed handles it. I also want to see more varied terrain, like transitioning between sidewalks and crosswalks down sloped curbs and over those bump patterns for the blind.

        Wouldn't a bicycle do as well? Why not a three-wheeler (tricycle), if you don't know how to balance. And guess what, no batteries, and I bet the bike can climb hills. Can the Japanese toy do hills?

    • Don't be ridiculous! (Score:5, Funny)

      by tlambert ( 566799 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @06:26PM (#50276895)

      Looks like fun but 12km really isn't very far, especially if you want to ride it to your destination and back, in which case you can only go places up to 6km away.

      Don't be ridiculous! 12K is enough for anyone!

    • Given the size, you can just pack two (three, ...) as needed.

    • 12km really isn't very far

      Don't worry, after a few yards on the pavements (=US sidewalks) in the UK there will be a crack or misalignment that those tiny wheels will stick in and tip you off.

      That's a nice smooth test area in the video, I must say.

  • pff... i'll stick with my amphibious bike! [imgur.com]

  • What is the point? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Carewolf ( 581105 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:24PM (#50276659) Homepage

    So it is even more useless than a SegWay which are already useless. Who needs something that can move short distances at walking speed, but can be carried around when walking? Either you can walk or you can't, if you can walk it is useless, if you can, it is also useless.

    • Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by barc0001 ( 173002 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:32PM (#50276695)

      So, you commonly walk at 10 kph? Your legs must be ripped as hell....

    • Re:What is the point? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Todd Palin ( 1402501 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:40PM (#50276729)

      While I agree that this thing is almost useless, I have to disagree with one thing. I can walk pretty fast, but can't sustain anything over 6k/h without looking like an idiot. This device claims 10k/h. So, I'd have to say it might be useful if you need to make time in a walking environment. I'm sure you can imagine a situation where 10k/h is better than 6k/h.

      • For elderly people who have limited walking range this ensures you get home, while still being transportable.

        • For elderly people who have limited walking range this ensures you get home, while still being transportable.

          No elderly person will ever get on one of those things. How many did you ever see on Segways? Oh, wait : there was George Bush, but look how that ended.

      • You could always run if you are in a hurry. That goes up to 20kmh, and I will bet a runner is a lesser nuisence than a motorized vehicle on the sidewalk.

    • Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Applehu Akbar ( 2968043 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:54PM (#50276769)

      This is much more useful than a Segway because when you step off, you can easily carry it, say up a flight of stairs and through the chikatetsu system (This is Japan we're talking about) carrying it in a little bag like a laptop. Later, it can be used to zip past that long boring stretch of roadside. Then you pick it up and duck into a Lawson's to do some shopping.

      Stateside, you can step out of your Escalade at the mall, zip through that drab parking lot, while holding it up to deflect bullets if the need arises. Just try any of those things, in either country, with a Segway.

      • This is much more useful than a Segway because when you step off, you can easily carry it, say up a flight of stairs and through the chikatetsu system (This is Japan we're talking about) carrying it in a little bag like a laptop. Later, it can be used to zip past that long boring stretch of roadside. Then you pick it up and duck into a Lawson's to do some shopping.

        Stateside, you can step out of your Escalade at the mall, zip through that drab parking lot, while holding it up to deflect bullets if the need arises. Just try any of those things, in either country, with a Segway.

        I wouldn't want to try to deflect bullets with it unless it was an extreme situation. You'd be better off throwing it at the shooter and getting someplace safe. My guess is that it has a Li-ion battery. I'm pretty sure that they don't react well to bullets...

        Oh... and we wouldn't have Paul Blart Mall Cop 1 & 2 without the Segway... Oh wait... Yeah, you're right... it is useless... (grin)

        • Mr. Blart has a different use case. He gets on a Segway at the beginning of his shift, and never has occasion to step off except to pause at the food court for more cheese and nachos. Having him use the Segway for these activities protects the mall customers from unsightly waddling.

          At the same time, I have seen precisely one Segway in use in the wild, other than for tours, since the day it was introduced. It was about five years ago on the Las Vegas Strip. The Japanese invention strikes me as being a lot mo

          • Mr. Blart has a different use case. He gets on a Segway at the beginning of his shift, and never has occasion to step off except to pause at the food court for more cheese and nachos. Having him use the Segway for these activities protects the mall customers from unsightly waddling.

            At the same time, I have seen precisely one Segway in use in the wild, other than for tours, since the day it was introduced. It was about five years ago on the Las Vegas Strip. The Japanese invention strikes me as being a lot more useful.

            I've seen one less than a year ago, being used by a cop (actual cop, not mall cop) who was doing a 'foot' patrol at an open-air mall. On the other hand, I was in a city where I've seen cops using such a wide variety of vehicles that I'd not bat an eye at moped cops or unicycle cops.

            From what I could tell, it was because it was actually pretty efficient given the area the cop was being expected to cover--it was too large for it to be reasonable to do it entirely on foot, and the traffic was such that on foot

            • While in Tokyo I lived mostly about 15 minutes from Shibuya Station, and for a while in Komagome at the top of the Yamanote loop. Once during spring strike I had to walk all the way in (Toranomon). That was definitely a time when I could have used a WalkCar.

              I've done a lot of street skating in my time, and I wonder how this device compares? I've never boarded, so I don't know. It would solve the problem of "What do I do with my skates when I enter a building?"

              • While in Tokyo I lived mostly about 15 minutes from Shibuya Station, and for a while in Komagome at the top of the Yamanote loop. Once during spring strike I had to walk all the way in (Toranomon). That was definitely a time when I could have used a WalkCar.

                I've done a lot of street skating in my time, and I wonder how this device compares? I've never boarded, so I don't know. It would solve the problem of "What do I do with my skates when I enter a building?"

                I was lucky and didn't have to deal with any strikes while I was there, but to be honest I think my first thought was along the lines of "So, defictionalization of motorized skateboards?"

                I think I was about 15 minutes away from my station at each end, but the station at the 'home' end was pretty well-placed for me to get grocery shopping taken care of on my way home, and on my way out I usually made sure I had time for coffee.

                I think one of the major questions here is if it's something you could travel to a

            • Re: (Score:1)

              by KGIII ( 973947 )

              I was in Jackson, Mississippi and I stopped in at a mall to get something to eat. In the parking lot was a cop, a real police officer - not security, driving around in an EV that was like a cross between a Smart Car and a golf cart. I thought about running over and flipping him on his side but I realized how bad a choice that was and did not do it. I still kind of regret not having taken the chance. I was in my RV so I probably could not have outrun the cops with that but I certainly could have outrun that

        • I wouldn't want to try to deflect bullets with it unless it was an extreme situation. You'd be better off throwing it at the shooter and getting someplace safe.

          I'd just ride it and hope the shooter's hysterical laughter at how totally mongish I look might put him off his aim just a tad.

    • Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by xlsior ( 524145 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @06:07PM (#50276823) Homepage
      Who needs something that can move short distances at walking speed, but can be carried around when walking?

      Some people with medical issues like arthritis can find if much less stressful on their joints to just 'stand' rather than actually walk... Chronic joint inflammation that gets made worse by the repetitive stress of walking. Just because someone is capable of walking doesn't necessarily mean that comes always easy to them. For example: With arthritis, you can be perfectly fine walking around at one moment, with excruciating pain in your joints the next. Any further ongoing joint movements at that point increases or prolongs that pain. A personal transporter that can keep you from rotating your ankle or hip joints unnecessarily can make a huge difference, both in pain control and personal independence.

      Also, it could be useful if you have a morning commute by public transportation -- you still need to get TO the train/subway/bus station after all, and from the last stop to your final destination. This is something that can take you the first and last parts of your trip, while easily carried on board of the bus in a bag without taking up a ton of room.

      • Some people with medical issues like arthritis can find if much less stressful on their joints to just 'stand' rather than actually walk...

        But you still need to maintain your balance on this thing

        If you have mobility issues, how do you make turns, speed up or slow down, how do you start and stop it, how do you get on and off safely?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mcrbids ( 148650 )

      I have a folding bike. [bikeinn.com] While its short wheel base makes it feel "skittish" compared to a lumbering road bike, it's surprisingly fast and I have no trouble keeping up with just about anybody else on bikes.

      1) It blows away 10 KPH. Average of 25-30 KPH more the norm, just like a normal road bike. (Hint: 100 PSI tires help a lot)

      2) It doesn't have batteries to run out or replace.

      3) I get in better shape when I use it.

      4) Folded, I can put it next to my desk at work and nobody cares at all. Taking it on an elevat

      • Re:What is the point? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Applehu Akbar ( 2968043 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @09:00PM (#50277377)

        You need to envision what a commute is like in transit-intensive Japan. You go everywhere on trains, but there's a "last kilometer" problem in needing to walk between your home and a station, and then from the station to your office. In Tokyo, where the next guy on the train is pressed against you holding a newspaper folded to the size of a handkerchief over your head, there's no room for a folding bike. People carry nothing larger than a briefcase or a laptop. A folding bike is no more portable in this context than a steamer trunk.

        If you live out in the country, you can take a bike to the station. Not a folding bike, a regular one, because you leave it at the station during the day. You see thousands of them at rural stops like Ozaku or Kawagoe, all unlocked.

        But in the city, the cheapest apartments and small businesses are packed into a dense cube around each transit station. If you live in a good neighborhood, your high-rise condo ("manshon" will be a couple of kilometers away from the station, by a spidery network of streets that in some cases are narrow enough that an American can stretch out his arms and touch the walls on each side. Your WalkCar would come in really handy on this part of your commute, and you can carry it to the office. If you work in a neighborhood where the streets are not too crowded, you can ride it at that end also.

        • You need to envision what a commute is like in transit-intensive Japan.

          My mom and I were riding the train home from Tokyo to Kamakara (she was holding me; I was about two so this would have been around '75). No one on the train would get up to give her a seat (just wasn't done). She was standing over a lady in a kimono... and apparently I was feeling sick, because I leaned over and vomited my mac n' cheese dinner straight down the woman's neckline into her kimono. :D

    • The way I see it, people who live in heavily urbanized areas with high population density (such as Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London), could see a benefit to this device. It's relatively cheap (unlike a Segway), much more compact (i.e., skateboard size) and therefore more maneuverable, and best of all, it saves SOME effort.

      There is a large segment of Japanese society that is aging and not able to walk as far as they once could. My mom fits into that category. She's relatively healthy bu

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jez9999 ( 618189 )

        That it can also go uphill shows it has clear benefits

        LOL - this thing has nothing to hold on to. If you try to go up any hill more than 5 degrees, you'll fall off backwards.

        • You'd only fall once. After that, it would probably occur to you that it might be a Good Idea to lean forward a bit (with respect to the board) so as to be sorta vertical instead of leaning backwards. In fact, there is a remote possibility that your inner ear would have cued you in the first place, and you wouldn't have even fallen once . . .

  • It's a MacBook with wheels (Score:5, Funny)

    by Jeremi ( 14640 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:25PM (#50276665) Homepage

    Apple laptops are already pretty much an aluminum case filled with lithium ion batteries, they might as well add wheels to one and ride it to and from the Starbucks.

  • Can somebody repost it using this soundtrack [youtube.com]?

  • The article claims that would be the price, anyways. Granted, I don't have $800 to spend on something I don't have a need for right now, but if I did it would be on my list of things to buy.

    They also didn't mention speed and range for an average American ...

  • Blobligatory (Score:5, Funny)

    by Hognoxious ( 631665 ) on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:45PM (#50276747) Homepage Journal

    The aluminum board and can take loads of up to 120kg

    A frame to couple two together is in development for the American market.

  • Useless where I live. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mark-t ( 151149 ) <markt AT nerdflat DOT com> on Saturday August 08, 2015 @05:45PM (#50276749) Journal

    Just like the Segway.... can't be used on any public sidewalks, bicycle paths, or roads, and on private property with public access, such as a shopping centre, can only be used with the owner's permission, which most do not give (although some do). Every few weeks or so I might see a person using one, and one time, I even witnessed what appeared to be someone getting fined for using one downtown on the public sidewalk (at least that's what it looked like to me from where I was watching, I wasn't anywhere nearly close enough to hear the actual exchange, but it did look like he was getting a ticket for using the device).

    And it's not even that there are any laws explicitly prohibiting the Segway have been made here, it's that the Segway, being motorized, falls under a particular "vehicle" classification intended for use in areas to be shared with pedestrians, and although motorized wheelchairs have a similar classification, there is an explicit exemption for such devices on account that their primary purpose is to provide mobility for the disabled. The Segway, in addition to any similar styles of powered transport, have no such exemption, and so they are prohibited.

  • With wheels that small I can imagine that, unless you're on a very smooth even surface it will end up getting f'd up by rocks, divits, bumps, or just generally tiled/uneven textures that can be found all over. It's also not a whole lot smaller than those electric unicycles, except it goes half as slow as the average one and lasts far shorter distances - and carries less weight.

    Useless product.

    • Good point. See the SoloWheel [solowheel.com], a similar device using a much larger, single wheel.

  • Look for MonoRover or eRover; they are self-balancing scooters just like the Segway but without the annoying handle.

  • gum (Score:1)

    by BabaG1 ( 1613555 )
    can't wait to start seeing the videos of those tiny wheels hitting fresh chewing gum on the sidewalks.

  • ..But what happened to our legs? Do they not work anymore? What is it with transportation machines that force us to stand, but prevent us from walking?

  • Faster than walking, easier than running, and smaller than a bicycle ? Sounds like the target market, for a pair of inline skates.
    I tried picking up the sport a few years ago. The basic directions are,
    • - push sideways, to go forward
    • - keep straight, to coast
    • - use the heel brake, to stop rapidly
    • - if you can't use the heel brake, WEAR GLOVES.
    • - rain plus concrete don't mix. (too slippery)

  • People: Get a 2nd opinion when you add sound to a video clip.

  • Around here, there's expansion joints, cracks, frost heaves, roots...

    • Around here, there's expansion joints, cracks, frost heaves, roots...

      Looks like he is on a campus, university or commercial. Those are usually well kept. Perhaps public streets in Japan are just as good, but not where I Iive.

  • This isn't really new. There is for example Future Foot [futurefoot.com], which is available for purchase now, although it is still quite expensive. It supposedly travels up to 7 to 12 mph (depending on your weight and the terrain), and its range is 10 to 12 miles on a full charge. Supposedly. I haven't tried it, but there are plenty of videos of it [youtube.com] on YouTube.

  • It ain't gonna work on the sidewalks in this town.

  • Such a device would definitely have some uses, especially in a country like Japan with a lot of public transport often located miles from your residence. Jump on one of these, ride to the station, throw it in your bag, get on the train. However $800 seems a bit pricy, I don't know about Japan but you can get used motorcycles/mopeds in the US for that kind of money. You would think something that is basically a aluminum shell with some batteries and an electric motor screwed to it would be a bit cheaper.

  • Segway was a flop, this will be too. It's difficult to justify the expense of such a thing which barely has any real practical applications.

  • I'd rather ride a motorized skateboard than this. With both toes pointed forward and you're already leaning into it, wouldn't a little bump give you a nice face-plant?

    At least on a skateboard your feet are apart and you're sideways for maximum stability.

  • Seriously, I don't think the /. demo is the market for this. Step->snap->Li-ion EXPLOSION.

  • This invention will eventually make Japan into the world's second fattest nation (following Mexico).
  • so you're telling me the thing can go at 10kph and the only way i have to stop is to STEP OFF? Not thought this through have you?
  • It could be pretty useful given the amount of seniors. A quickly aging population could benefit from this kind of vehicles...
  • I can't imagine that holding a static standing posture like that would feel good on your lower back after a little use. The smaller wheels will send all the shock in the road up your straight legs to your back. Unlike the Segway, which has the handle to help balance and direct motion, you can't shift your weight on this without switching directions. The majority of momentum change on this device is forward/back, it's better to compensate with a sideways posture like on a skateboard.

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