Toyota recently unveiled a 4-legged mobility robot that can go where wheels can’t. The “Walk Me” specializes in tasks that are difficult in a wheelchair, such as climbing stairs and positioning passengers to get into cars. It consists of an ergonomic seat mounted on four mechanical legs that are designed to mimic the mountain goat, one of the most sure-footed animals on earth. Walk Me is both compact and adaptable. Each leg can bend in multiple ways, lift, and move independently of the others to ensure that stability is maintained while walking on uneven ground or around obstacles. It’s also covered with a soft material that hides all the mechanical components. The system’s showpiece is climbing stairs. One of the legs will test the step’s height to determine how far the other legs have to push up to reach it. A suite of sensors and a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system continuously scan the surrounding obstacles. Distribution of force and weight between the legs feed into a calculation on the seat position, which is adjusted automatically to ensure the user isn’t tipped off in any direction. Sensors in the front apply a braking system if something moves quickly across its path. Hidden beneath the seat is a battery that can operate the robot for up to 12 hours. Voice-activated commands, such as “kitchen” or “faster,” can guide the legs directly, as can a set of handles positioned alongside the seat that contain manual controls. When it’s time to dismount the chair, the folding system retracts the legs similar to how a goat lays down, and in 30 seconds the unit becomes small enough to put into the trunk of most vehicles.
