Panasonic is testing autonomous wheelchairs at Tokyo’s Haneda airport to bring simple and safe mobility to the disabled.
It works by setting up pick-up and drop-off destinations on a smartphone app, then the autonomous wheelchair arrives and transports the user to the chosen destination.
Once done, it will pick-up the next passenger or return to a docking station.
Sensors help it avoid collisions with pedestrians and luggage, and a tandem function enables the wheelchairs to travel in a group — giving disabled families the ability to travel together.
The wheelchairs will be tested at Haneda through March 2018; with plans to fully deploy at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games
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