Posted on 11/14/2013 10:04:19 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Japanese company Nano Optonics Energy displayed its caterpillar-tracked UNiMO (UNIque MObility) micro EV drive train at the International Robotics Exhibition in Tokyo last week, promising new levels of personal mobility for wheelchair users.
There are two models of the UNiMO: the US$18,000 Unimo Grace which is now available for purchase and the US$10,000 UNiMO Sport which will be available by the end of this month (November 2013).
Even more importantly, the 400 W drivetrain designated E-001 is being made available to other manufacturers to create their own micro EVs.
The UNiMO Grace is a stylish armchair-on-wheels that looks like it comes directly from the drawing board of Sir Jony Ive, with clean minimalist Apple-esque lines and such digital niceties as a USB port for charging your smartphone.
Though it comes in black or white livery, the brushed aluminum model is so reminiscent of a MacBook Pro that it would not look out of place in an Apple Store. It will encounter zero resistance from the aesthetically-appreciative.
There are several other features which set the UNiMO apart from the competition. One is its seat which has a 30 degree power tilt-up function to assist the mobility handicapped to get into and out of the driving seat independently. It also has a lockable trunk....
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmag.com ...
only 400 watts? my blender motor has more power. i think my vacuum motor does too.
We gotta get Jim one of these!
Beats a rascal.
I like the 30 deg tilt technology and the track system.
Could be rough on carpets though.
I took out my carpets and put in hardwood while I was still able, because I knew rolling a wheelchair on the wood would be easier. This thing looks great! Save my old shoulders a lot of work.
I live in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I think it would be nice for a handicap person to have a wheel chair that they could take down and enjoy the beach. Try pushing a regular wheel chair around in the sand. They get bogged down. We tried it once when my Father was alive, and it didn’t work.
This looks like some kind of Caterpillar skid steer loader...
I like the notion of an all terrain vehicle.
Millions have been sold!
A Bobcat would be great LOL
Jim’s going to need more juice than that to run the mini-gun.
When I was preparing the lot to build my house twenty plus years ago, I rented a Bobcat tracked vehicle for a lot of work. This thing looks like a scaled down version I could really get into!
I think it is a great idea.
A bit pricey, and the tracks could be problematic on carpet, but the mobility!
No cup holder?
You know you’re lookin’ at ‘em.
Good point.
If everybody here gave just a dollar, we could buy Jim a motorhome, much less a tracked wheelchair!
My 1984 Mercedes 300D didn’t have cupholders when I bought it in 2004. $4 later and a trip to K-Mart and voila! a 2 cup holder that fits between the front seats.
Not...oficially.
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