Looks like it requires a similar skill level too. Not for everyone...

Last edited Fri Aug 21, 2015, 05:32 AM - Edit history (1)

The slender WalkCar is made from aluminum and weighs between two and three kilograms (4.4 to 6.6 pounds), depending on whether it is an indoor or outdoor version.

Sato expects to see many other uses for his transporter, as he says it has enough power to help people push wheelchairs with ease. The lightweight aluminum board is stronger than it looks, and can take loads of up to 120kg (265 pounds).

It reaches top speeds of 10 kilometers per hour (6.2 miles per hour), for distances of up to 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) after three hours of charging.

Its developer says it's also extremely simple to ride. Once the rider stands on it the WalkCar starts automatically, while simply stepping off stops the vehicle. To change direction, the user just shifts their weight.

snip


Sato says customers will be able to reserve their own WalkCars from autumn 2015 on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. The futuristic skateboad will have a price-tag of around 100,000 Japanese Yen (approx. $800 USD). Shipping is expected to begin by spring 2016.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/10/us-japan-walkcar-idUSKCN0QF1BC20150810

It will be a huge hit.......and a cultural game changer

When it said a transporter, I was thinking like in Star Trek, boy was I disappointed!

Pedestrian is almost a dirty word, except maybe in New York city or San Francisco . In America a pedestrian is someone who has just parked their car.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/04/16/150586667/americans-do-not-walk-the-walk-and-thats-a-growing-problem



http://www.slate.com/articles/life/walking/2012/04/why_don_t_americans_walk_more_the_crisis_of_pedestrianism_.html

Yeah, I saw transporter and I thought Star Trek too.........

And occasionally I'd return to the US for a couple of months at a time. Every time I returned there was a weight gain of almost exactly 20 pounds. When I returned to Japan, the 20 pounds would drop off fairly quickly.

Since my eating habits were fairly consistent I attribute the difference almost entirely to lifestyle - specifically the use of bicycle and walking there versus driving and strolling into my destination here.