Gizmodo has reported on this before but today we will finally be getting behind the wheel (or three wheels) to take Toyota’s i-REAL for a spin. And by ‘we’, I mean me. Oh how I wish Nick Broughall were here so I could have someone to laugh at as they get to grips with this thing. As it is everybody will most likely be laughing at me. I’m not hugely coordinated at the best of times.
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.
