On May 21st Toyota Motor North America announced in Jacksonville, Florida, that they are working on a comeback for the iBOT with a newer upgraded version in cooperation with DEKA Research & Development. The iBOT could be a great mobility solution for the disabled community.
There are many people around the world that need a wheelchair in order to move and I feel for them, as it’s not easy to live that way. Thankfully, Toyota did create the iBOT as a solution to this but more than a decade later, it seems that technology has allowed the company to offer an even better quality tool to get the job done and that does come in the form of this Toyota iBOT 2.
While the device has basically the same layout when compared to the normal iBOT , there’s no denying that there are quite a lot of differences. There are new technologies integrated here and the device is also slimmer, which is certainly a major plus for the users.
Toyota iBOT 2 is certainly a great device for those that need a good wheelchair with technology embedded in it. Sure, it might not be a necessity for some, but having more and more new technologies is a very good idea and that’s why I do think that the Toyota iBOT 2 is a clear winner in this regard. This device does offer an immense value and an intense quality that you can rarely find somewhere else on the market.
“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.”
Moving around is difficult without a proper wheelchair and since Toyota on its own has invested a lot of money into developing this kind of tech, there’s no denying that most of us are expecting the Toyota iBOT 2 to be revolutionary. The main focus here is on artificial intelligence and smart features which honestly does tend to offer some immense capabilities. Plus, the experience is created with high quality in mind and that does deliver some great results.
The hardware is also a lot better when compared to the previous model and it does offer support for a lot more capabilities. Toyota iBOT 2 is a more potent, easier to use and also to move device, which I do like. The last thing that people in need of a wheelchair want is a heavy device and one that’s hard to maneuver. I feel that this device doesn’t have an issue when it comes to offering some great results and instead it does integrate all the tech it can deliver.
“Toyota and DEKA share the same vision of making mobility available to people of every kind of ability,” said DEKA founder Dean Kamen. “We are excited about this new relationship and excited about what it means for making that dream a reality.”
This new device shows a lot of promise and honestly it can bring in front some interesting experiences for users. There’s no clear date on when it will be available, but hopefully Toyota iBOT 2 will reach shelves sooner rather than later. People do need a better Toyota iBOT and this new version will certainly satisfy the needs of those users that need more tech and high quality results. Hopefully the Toyota iBOT 2 will be launched either later this year or early 2017.
About Toyota: Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today. (“About” text provided by Toyota)
YouTube: Toyota and DEKA iBOT partnership announcement video
Photo credit: Toyota
Source: Cindy Knight (Toyota)
