Japanese engineer introduces laptop-sized WalkCar

At about the size of a bulky laptop, the “WalkCar” is slim and portable.

But Japanese firm Cocoa Motors seems to be going one step further with a portable electric vehicle called the WalkCar that can be stored in a shoulder bag and has enough power to push along a passenger weighing 120Kg. The lightweight aluminum board is stronger than it looks, and can take loads of up to 120kg.

Available as an indoor and outdoor version, the four-wheeled WalkCar is powered by a lithium battery and can reach speeds up to 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) per hour. Turning and accelerating is also fairly intuitive, with the WalkCar responding to the user shifting his/her weight left, right, back and forward – similar to the previous ultimate lazy luxury device, the Segway. But now the marketplace is flooding with new electric scooters, and skateboards, and the WalkCar is an interesting addition.

The “WalkCar” fancies itself as a small electric vehicle that you can slip in your backpack. “Just turn the body in the direction you want to go, you can move freely”.

Sato came up with the idea while studying engineering. “I thought, ‘What if we could just carry our transportation in our bags, wouldn’t that mean we’d always have our transportation with us to ride on?'” he said.

While in a prototype phase, the device will be launched on crowdfunding site Kickstarter in October, with an expected delivery date in early 2016.