WalkCar: This Japanese transporter is the size of your laptop and rivals Segways and hoverboards
It’s 2015, and yet the hoverboards promised to us by Marty McFly have yet to materialise. But if you’ve been dreaming of something similar hitting the market, you may like this futuristic skateboard from a Japanese inventor.
26 year-old engineer Kuniako Saito has developed WalkCar, a portable transporter that he says is the world’s first “car in a bag”.
The WalkCar works like a Segway, but is no bigger or heavier than your average laptop. When you’re not using it, it fits neatly in your backpack.
Saito told news agency Reuters:
I thought, "what if we could just carry our transportation in our bags, wouldn't that mean we'd always have our transportation with us to ride on?
The WalkCar starts moving automatically when you get on and stops when you step off. Just shift your weight to change direction on the aluminium board powered by lithium batteries. As long as you can keep your balance, it’s flexible enough to manoeuvre around an obstacle course, and strong enough to motor you up a steep hill.
Saito is crowdfunding his invention through a Kickstarter campaign, and the boards, which will cost around £515, are expected to start shipping in early 2016.