
For those of you not in the know (keep reading Giz and we’ll sort that out for you), the i-REAL is kind of like Toyota’s version of the Segway, but supposedly a hell of a lot better. Toyota calls it a “personal mobility vehicle”. It uses three wheels in low speed mode with a short wheelbase to allow for easy maneuverability. When you pick up speed the wheelbase extends to provide a better centre of gravity.
The i-REAL also has perimeter monitoring sensors to detect when a collision is imminent. With me behind the wheels, that would be quite often then. We will give you a full review of the i-REAL once we’ve thoroughly destroyed carefully tested it….
Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.