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i-unit Overview
The “i-unit” is a form of “personal mobility” that seeks to attain a greater balance of meeting individuals’ wishes to enjoy freedom of movement, harmony with society, and harmony with the Earth’s natural environment.
Concept
“Expanding Human Abilities”
This union of driver and vehicle is intended to expand human abilities and possibilities.
Theme
“Inspire the Individual”
Making a better world with mobility leading the way to a greater bond between people and the planet.
Movement expands our world by creating possibilities and encounters among nature, society, people and culture. Movement brings us new sensations, discoveries and acquaintances, enabling individuals to lead fuller lives and cultivating a sense of belonging with the planet.
Design Theme
“The Leaf”
The design, inspired by the leaf that converts sunlight into life energy, seeks to express the power of the unknown, the logic of living things and the simple beauty of waste-free functionality.
source: TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION. All Rights Reserved
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Just as the invention of the Segway changed public perception about personal transportation, Toyota’s I-Unit will surely change the way we see transportation for older adults and the disabled.
The I-Unit which was conceived as a « personal concept vehicle » for all, is a particularly good mobility option for the aging population in urban communities. The one-person, battery-powered vehicle can be driven on sidewalks and city streets, in an upright or reclined position. In its upright mode, the I-unit can travel at 3.7 miles per hour, and it its relined mode at almost 30 miles per hour.
As an added plus for older users, the turning functions are facilitated not by mechanical connections (such as pedals), but by electronic ‘drive-by-wire’ technology and uses light, sound, and vibration for its driver support information.
The greatest advantage of the I-unit is that it does not require good balance on the driver’s part as does the Segway – making the i-unit the more senior-friendly product. There is also a personalized aspect to the I-unit in that it recognizes its drivers by their palms and face as well as plays music catered to the tastes of its user. As Chief Engineer Yoshiaki Kato explains, the vehicle was “designed to be an extension of the human body. »
Featured as one of Time magazine’s Most Amazing Inventions of 2005, an i-unit prototype was unveiled at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan and Toyota hopes to begin production in the near future.
For more information, visit: www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/04/1203_1e.html
source: AARP.org
