Personal, motor-driven transportation devices have a lot of names: automated people movers (APM), electric skateboards, hoverboards and others. One of the latest to go on the market, from Cocoa Motors Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), is called WALKCAR, which the company says comes from the idea of the device being both an alternative to walking and a “portable car.”
A roughly square-shaped board with a motor and wheels, the portable, automatic WALKCAR device is said to be simple to use — it automatically starts when the user steps onto it, it operates based on the user shifting his or her center of gravity without need for a handle or controller and it stops automatically when the user steps off. It’s also reported to be able to travel about 7 kilometers on a single charge of its specially developed motor, at speeds of up to 16 kilometers per hour. And, importantly, thanks to thermoplastic composite materials from Teijin Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), WALKCAR is reportedly lightweight and durable to make it both portable and long-lasting enough for regular use.