The iBOT stair-climbing wheelchair first introduced in 2000, by Segway inventor Dean Kamen, gave vertical independence to people with disabilities.
Toyota Motor North America now is collaborating with DEKA Research and Development (the company founded by inventor Dean Kamen), to support mobility solutions for the disabled community. This will complete the development and launch of the next generation iBOT motorized wheelchair.
The iBOT is a revolutionary motorized wheelchair with two sets of powered wheels that can be rotated to allow the user to “walk” up and down stairs. The wheelchair allows users to rise from a sitting level to approximately six feet in height and travel in this “standing” configuration, and is capable of traveling through a wide variety of terrain types.
“Our company is very focused on mobility solutions for all people,” said Osamu “Simon” Nagata, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Toyota Motor North America, who announced the agreement at the Paralyzed Veterans of America’s 70th Annual Convention. “We realize that it is important to help older adults and people with special needs live well and continue to contribute their talents and experience to the world.”
source Toyota
In the past, one of the big failings of the iBot chair came from its inability to fit under an average height table, or desk. If you can do amazing things with it, but you cannot do average everyday things with it, it is less than desirable.