Winglet

Finally, there's a competitor to the Segway. Toyota has just unveiled it's "Winglet" personal transport assistant robot. Big words, but basically its a smaller, lighter version of the Segway. I am interested in this because such a vehicle could potentially solve Singapore's "last mile" problem.

What I envision is a portable vehicle that can be carried on MRT rides. When you reach your destination, you unpack your portable vehicle and drive directly to your destination. While still not perfect, Toyota's Winglet is a much better fit for Singapore's urban environment than the Segway for many reasons. For one, it is much lighter than the Segway, and the small Winglet can actually be folded into a carrying case! Unfortunately, even the small Winglet is still too heavy with its 10k weight. If Toyota can reduce the weight of the Winglet under 4kg, I believe it would be wildly popular as an urban "bicycle".

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