Once upon a time there was a motorized wheelchair called the iBot that promised to revolutionize transportation for the disabled.
Specifically, the iBot was a uniquely adjustable wheelchair which allowed the users to elevate for easier and more natural communication with those walking alongside, as well as the ability to traverse uneven terrain. Most notable about the latter perk was that it could even handle stairs, bringing a whole new meaning to the term "wheelchair accessible."
However, while it did revolutionize transportation for the handicapped, that revolution came at a hefty price: $25,000, a price tag so steep that it forced the iBot to cease production in 2009.
Fast-forward to 2016, and it looks like the iBot may reach the mass market after all. In an announcement at the 70th Annual Convention for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, inventor Dean Kamen, who is also responsible for the Segway which uses balancing technology similar to that of the iBot, revealed that he has entered a partnership with Japanese car maker Toyota in a bid to make the iBot a viable alternative to the traditional wheelchair.
"I'm happy to tell you that our goal is to bring back the iBot," Kamen said in a video. "We'd like to take everything that was great about the original iBot and then enhance it with 15 years of improvements in technology."
According to Kamen, the partnership came about partially due to DEKA (Kamen's company) and Toyota sharing the same vision of making mobility available to people of every kind of ability.
It should be noted, however, that this isn't merely about giving Kamen's technology a second shot. The deal allows Toyota to license DEKA's balancing technology for "medical rehabilitative therapy and potentially other purposes." This means that you may one day see the same tech behind iBot being utilized in other health care devices, personal transport and even robots.
In the meantime, all the announcement did was reveal that Kamen and Toyota are entering a partnership with one another. Details regarding the availability of the second-generation iBot, or, most impotantly, the price tag, have yet to be revealed. However, with Toyota now in tow, it's safe to assume we won't be seeing that monstrous $25,000 price tag which halted production all those years ago.
Check out the announcement in the video below:
