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The far-out future is here: Toyota's new concept vehicles out-do science fiction (great pics)
Yahoo News Photos ^
Posted on 12/03/2004 11:30:33 AM PST by Wolfstar
Yahoo News caption: Toyota's new concept vehicle i-unit is driven in during its unveiling in Tokyo, Dec. 3, 2004. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
The i-unit, which resembles a wheelchair, is designed to help people get around. It will be displayed at an exposition in Aichi, central Japan, next year. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
The compact sized vehicle, which runs on lithium-ion batteries, enables the passenger to move among other people in an upright position in low speed mode, while the vehicle reclines in high speed mode to lower the centre of gravity and ensure stable handling, the company said.
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Japan; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: auto; automobile; autoshop; cars; concept; conceptcars; science; scifi; toyota; vehicle
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To: RandallFlagg
Maybe a lightsabre or two?
Shark with laser beams?
61
posted on
12/03/2004 11:54:59 AM PST
by
ChadGore
(VISUALIZE 61,103,636 Bush fans.)
To: floydibanezer
What is the purpose of the outfits the demonstrators are wearing?Haven't got a clue. Maybe they are just to blend in with the vehicles, or maybe they serve to protect the occupant of the vehicles. Or...maybe they're just fun and add to the sci-fi quality of the demo.
62
posted on
12/03/2004 11:55:45 AM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Wolfstar
Looks like something Liberace would have loved.
63
posted on
12/03/2004 11:56:09 AM PST
by
fso301
To: Spok
I thought it was a remake of 'Mothra'.Probably is.
64
posted on
12/03/2004 11:56:37 AM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Rockitz
Some movie producer may actually pay Toyota to use these in a sci-fi flick.Or Toyota may actually pay some movie producer to use them. It's called "product placement" in today's movie industry.
65
posted on
12/03/2004 11:57:55 AM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Wolfstar
Man, I hope we don't have to wear clothes like this in the future.
66
posted on
12/03/2004 11:59:16 AM PST
by
My2Cents
("Well...there you go again.")
To: Squawk 8888
Instead of using the iFoot couldn't you...just...walk? Not if you're wheelchair-bound.
Yes, but wheelchairs don't require a fourteen-foot clearance, or steel-reinforced flooring...
67
posted on
12/03/2004 11:59:43 AM PST
by
Alex Murphy
(Psalm 73)
To: Squawk 8888
Not if you're wheelchair-bound. This technology could lead to a revolution in mobility aids for the disabled, funded by the "early adopters" with money to burn on geeky toys.All fun and joking aside, you're right, Squawk. Efforts to develop useful robotic tools, both for the disabled and for other practical purposes, is huge business. These concepts are fun -- and this tread is intended as a light-hearted one -- but the technology is remarkable.
68
posted on
12/03/2004 12:01:32 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Wolfstar
Isles in the grocery store are sure going to have to be karger to accommodate these new-fangled wheel chairs...
69
posted on
12/03/2004 12:01:52 PM PST
by
Libertina
(We praise You Lord, You have granted America a Christian leader!)
To: PeterFinn
Instead of using the iFoot couldn't you...just...walk? I'm presuming that the idea is that it can:
1. Give mobility to those who can't walk.
2. Allow a person to carry a lot more cargo than he could heft in a backpack, for longer distances.
3. Cover ground faster than a person could.
4. Travel over terrain people have trouble negotiating, perhaps, like jagged rocks, hot volcanic tuff, shallow waters, etc.
To: RandallFlagg
That lightsabre is one deadly looking piece of equipment. Now THAT is what we ought to send to Iraq.
71
posted on
12/03/2004 12:03:24 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: broadsword
But do you HAVE TO dress like a gaywad while driving one?LOL! No, but it adds to the sci-fi effect. (Besides, who's to know what fashion will be like, say, 50 years from now when real vehicles developed from such concepts will be commonplace.)
72
posted on
12/03/2004 12:05:06 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Petronski
73
posted on
12/03/2004 12:06:44 PM PST
by
O.C. - Old Cracker
(When the cracker gets old, you wind up with Old Cracker. - O.C.)
To: Daus
I know. The i-foot is really hilarious. Heck, even the lower front of it seems to have two eyes and a dorky grin. (But it really is a remarkable advance in robotics and battery technology.)
74
posted on
12/03/2004 12:06:55 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Mountain Dewd
I'm sure my wife is going to make me get the carseat in one of these things.No, no, no! The carseat is the next thing that will become a robot. It will sort of fly along side the i-foot.
75
posted on
12/03/2004 12:08:07 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: oyez
That's kind of pretty in a weird sort of way.
76
posted on
12/03/2004 12:08:40 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Jonah Hex
No thanks, I'll wait for my gerwalk.Looks like the mother of all Swiss army knives.
77
posted on
12/03/2004 12:09:27 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: My2Cents
Man, I hope we don't have to wear clothes like this in the future.John Kerry is well on his way. (Besides, the way the teens and 20-somethings are driving fashion these days, we may not be wearing any clothes in another few years.)
78
posted on
12/03/2004 12:11:52 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: Alex Murphy
Yes, but wheelchairs don't require a fourteen-foot clearance, or steel-reinforced flooring...Bwahahahahahahah...best zinger of the day.
79
posted on
12/03/2004 12:12:37 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Counting down the days to when the new White House puppy arrives.)
To: My2Cents
Have you ever seen
'Metropolis'?
80
posted on
12/03/2004 12:12:45 PM PST
by
O.C. - Old Cracker
(When the cracker gets old, you wind up with Old Cracker. - O.C.)
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