August 11, 2015

Japanese Engineers Have Created The World's First 'Car In A Bag'


                                                                  




Getting around is about to look a lot different. Kuniako Saito, a Japanese engineer, and his team at Cocoa Motors, have created a laptop-sized personal vehicle that weighs less than seven pounds. The device, dubbed the 'WalkCar', is described as a 'car in a bag' because it can easily carried around.
It’s sort of like a small, four-wheeled electric skateboard meets a Segway. 

The device is powered by lithium batteries and comes in both indoor and outdoor models. It only weighs between 2 to 3 kg (4.4 to 6.6 pounds) depending on the model, but can carry a person of up to 120 kg (265 pounds), according to a Reuters report.
Riders steer the WalkCar by shifting their weight from side-to-side in the direction they want to go. It can reach speeds up to 10 km per hour (6.2 miles per hour) and has a range of about 11.2 km (7 miles) after it’s been charged for about 3 hours, according to the report.

Getting around is about to look a lot different. Kuniako Saito, a Japanese engineer, and his team at Cocoa Motors, have created a laptop-sized personal vehicle that weighs less than seven pounds. The device, dubbed the 'WalkCar', is described as a 'car in a bag' because it can easily carried around.

It’s sort of like a small, four-wheeled electric skateboard meets a Segway. 

The device is powered by lithium batteries and comes in both indoor and outdoor models. It only weighs between 2 to 3 kg (4.4 to 6.6 pounds) depending on the model, but can carry a person of up to 120 kg (265 pounds), according to a Reuters report.

Riders steer the WalkCar by shifting their weight from side-to-side in the direction they want to go. It can reach speeds up to 10 km per hour (6.2 miles per hour) and has a range of about 11.2 km (7 miles) after it’s been charged for about 3 hours, according to the report.
Cocoa Motors plans to begin pre-orders in October via a Kickstarter campaign.

While it's no hoverboard, it still looks pretty cool and easy to ride. Check out video above to see the vehicle in action.  

By Cadie Thompson
With many thanks to Science Alert