Ride your briefcase to work with Yamaha's BOBBY scooter
The Yamaha BOBBY in its mini-scooter state. It can also fold up to look like a suitcase on wheels. (Yamaha)
The BOBBY is still just a prototype, with no set market release date, and most of its features have not been revealed. However, the BOBBY seems to be intended as a business commuter´s travel gadget, and since nothing quite like it exists yet, the company hopes its uniqueness will be attractive.
One feature of BOBBY that was revealed at the Motor Show is how the mini-scooter is turned on. The system uses one of Sony´s smart IC e-cards (FeliCa), the same technology currently employed by many Japanese train ticket systems and cash cards. More information about this suitcase on wheels will hopefully be announced in the future.
Though BOBBY was perhaps the most nerdy vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show, a few other designs were also eye-catching. Yamaha´s Tesseract, for example, is a four-wheeled motorcycle, whose tall, closely-spaced wheels give it little resemblance to a conventional motorcycle. The rider can lean into turns with four contact patches, and the "dual scythe" suspension system allows each wheel to adjust to uneven surfaces. The Tesseract is a hybrid, with a liquid-cooled v-twin powerplant that works in conjunction with an electric motor.
The BOBBY, Tesseract, and other Yamaha models can be found at the Yamaha-Motor Web site.
via: Sci-Fi Tech and About.
Though BOBBY was perhaps the most nerdy vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show, a few other designs were also eye-catching. Yamaha´s Tesseract, for example, is a four-wheeled motorcycle, whose tall, closely-spaced wheels give it little resemblance to a conventional motorcycle. The rider can lean into turns with four contact patches, and the "dual scythe" suspension system allows each wheel to adjust to uneven surfaces. The Tesseract is a hybrid, with a liquid-cooled v-twin powerplant that works in conjunction with an electric motor.
The BOBBY, Tesseract, and other Yamaha models can be found at the Yamaha-Motor Web site.
via: Sci-Fi Tech and About.
» Next Article in Technology - Engineering: Robot Suit May Help You Achieve a Perfect Golf Swing

Rating: 4.2
Bookmark
Save as PDF
Print
Email
Blog It
Stumble It!
Digg It

Video
Editorials
Free Magazines
Free White Papers
Newsletter
Advanced Search
Goto Archive
Suggest a story idea
Send feedback