Toyota announced today that it will be working with Sony to co-develop a new one-seater vehicle. The new vehicle is expected use several elements from the i-swing concept–pictured below–that Toyota debuted at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show. Seven Sony researches will work at one of Toyota’s robotic research facilities on the project that the companies are calling the next-generation “transporter.”
Sony will be offering its knowledge of robotics gained through the engineering of the Aibo and Qrio robots, and has already sold several patents to Toyota for the development of the new car. Toyota has recently developed a new robot-on-wheels to give tours of the Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall in Toyota City that can drive around obstacles, converse with humans and sign its own name.
2005 i-swing
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08/27, 1:39 PM
posted by:
carrerajh
If produced, this will go the way of the Segway — First posting!
08/27, 2:12 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
This car was in Gran Turismo 4, if I’m correct. Where’s the “bitch seat?”
08/27, 2:23 PM
posted by:
Me
Think this will this have an Ipod connection? Bitch seat… LOL jackjim. No, the GT4 car was the Nike car.
08/27, 3:10 PM
posted by:
HoosierHero
It looks like a wheelchair, which might not be a bad thing for people in wheelchairs. Probably a lot faster!
08/27, 4:05 PM
posted by:
maximus
I already invented one of these in 2nd grade…only mine hovered and didn’t use wheels. Also, it was voice commanded. I drew a pretty good picture of it, with no solid science, but, it still was better than this piece of xxxx.
08/27, 4:25 PM
posted by:
Commodore
maximus – congratulations on that “achievement”. .
I agree that it looks like a wheelchair. A wheelchair that is at the top of my list though, since its gonna be made by 2 Jap giants and I’m just American like that.
08/27, 4:45 PM
posted by:
jonnycat
I’ll stick with motorbikes and a portable mp3 c/w headphones. Thanks, but no thanks.
08/27, 6:00 PM
posted by:
CTS DRIVER
CAN HONDA AND APPLE GET TOGETHER AND MAKE THE i-POGO STICK?
08/27, 7:01 PM
posted by:
jJayC08
It does look like a wheelchair. It probably won’t be safe at speeds past 15 miles per hour, even with a fair amount of technology packed into it. Just like the Segway, people wouldn’t have much of a reason to buy one of these things aside from it being a toy.
08/27, 7:30 PM
posted by:
Deanster
Who needs this xxxx. Enough already, people should get used to walking again, might help combat the xxxxing disgusting obesity epidemic across the world.
08/27, 9:11 PM
posted by:
S-60-driver
xxxxing stupid!! A total waste of time! I’m with Deanster and A4
A boring Toyota who makes BORING cars/trucks is helping Sony to create a BORING one seater?? YYYYAAAWWWNNNN
08/28, 12:49 AM
posted by:
Got Handling?
Deanster hates it, what a surprise, no glovebox = no Haribo stash. What’s a paedo to do?
08/28, 3:53 AM
posted by:
Kaizen
If you guys would remove yourselves for a couple seconds from the ‘Everything should be built for only the US’ state-of-mind, you’d realize that there could possibly be a need for it somewhere else, like congested Tokyo.
08/28, 7:43 AM
posted by:
Got Handling?
One passenger vehicles can be very exciting, and don’t need to look like wheelchairs. There is one very exciting idea called the “motorcycle” – why reinvent the wheel?
08/28, 8:32 AM
posted by:
maximus
on second thought, this would be great for parapalegics.
08/28, 9:47 AM
posted by:
jJayC08
True Kaizen, and probably alot of people would have the need for one. But, they’d also most likely have the need for Metro, maybe a car depending on the specific location, and most of all walking.
I lived in a Metro area, and most people didn’t use their cars very often, but still owned one. I doubt somebody would buy this and own a car, at the price I’m guessing it’ll go at (atleast $2,000) that live in congested areas, which most of have a metro system. And even if it does sell, what happens when they get on one of these metro systems?
Got Handling, motorcycles are fun, but because of the height of this vehicle I’d presume it wouldn’t be capable of more than 15 mph without technology such as the Segway uses, and with such a high price tag we know what happened to it.
08/28, 10:53 AM
posted by:
1487_GM_SALES
Too bad Sony can’t teach Toyota how to build a car that doesn’t fall apart after the first payment.
08/28, 11:19 AM
posted by:
autonut
I happen to know that Honda’s robots are more refined and advanced then Sony’s (especially in motion and balance department). Sony could help Toyota to build a dog, but Honda can build such a concoction if it chooses alone. I don’t believe Honda sees a market here, otherwise it would be done already.
08/28, 4:40 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
Autonut: there’s nothing quantitative about your first sentence. You can believe it, but you can’t “know” it.
08/29, 4:30 PM
posted by:
maximus
Too bad Sony can’t teach Toyota how to make GM Sales shut the **** up