Toyota Winglet takes off as competition with Segway

William Atkins
Saturday, 02 August 2008 22:26

Science - Health

On Friday, August 1, 2008, the Toyota Motor Corporation announced its new “Winglet,” a stand-up motorized scooter that will be tested for commercial use in 2008-09. In direct competition with the Segway, Toyota hopes to catch the popular ride of personal transport vehicles.


The Winglet consists of an electric motor, two wheels, and internal sensors that continuously monitors the rider’s position in order to ensure a safe and stable ride.

What Toyota calls a “parallel link mechanicm,” the scooter allows riders to lean forward and back, and make turns, all by shifting and sliding one’s body weight. It was designed by Toyota to easily stop and go with little physical exertion.

The rider will be able to pivot in a full 360 degree circle. Toyota states that its Winglet willl easily goes over bumps in the roads.

The new Toyota scooter rides at about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) per hour. It will be available eventually for sale in three versions: small, medium, and large.

Its takes up about an average area (depending on version) of 10.4 inches (26.4 centimeters) by 18 inches (45.7 centimeters). TheWinglet has a height (also depending of version) of 1.5 feet  (0,46 meters) (small), 2.2 feet (0.67 meters) (medium), and 3.7 feet (1.13 meters) (large).

The small Winglet version weighs about 22 pounds (10 kilograms) The scooters also have handlebars that are adjustable to different heights. [CNET: “Segway, meet the Toyota Winglet”] The protruding handlebars are compared to steering wheels of cars.

It is also able to sense when a collision is imminent, thus, warning the rider of danger.

The Segway (or Segway PT) is a two-wheeled electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen. The self-balancing personal transport vehicle is produced by Segway, Inc., out of New Hampshire, United States. “Segway” stands for, in Italian, “segue” or in English  “follows” (smooth transition). "PT" is an abbreviation for “personal transporter.”

The Winglet personal transport devices can be folded up and placed into a large carrying bag. Powered with an internal battery, they are recharged in about one hour. The Winglet can go about three miles (five kilometers) before needing to be re-charged.

It is described at Ubergizmo’s website “Toyota Winglet Moves You” as: “The Winglet consists of a body (with a projected area the size of an A3 sheet of paper) that houses an electric motor, two wheels and internal sensors that constantly monitor the user's position and make adjustments in power to ensure stability. Meanwhile, a unique parallel link mechanism allows the rider to go forward, backward and turn simply by shifting body weight, making the vehicle safe and useful even in tight spaces or crowded environments.”

Please view the video of the Winglet on page two, along with future features of the new Toyota transport device.