Inventor Dean Kamen first showed off his iBOT wheelchair more than a decade ago. This motorized wheelchair is actually capable of climbing stairs on its own, it even has the ability to tackle rough terrains like sand and grass. The iBOT also features a rising seat which brings the user at eye level to the people standing close to them. It’s a remarkable creation and today Toyota and Dean Kamen have announced that they’re bringing back the iBOT wheelchair.
Kamen has said many times over the past few years that he would like to see iBOT make a comeback, and now that’s going to happen, thanks to a deal between Toyota and Kamen’s DEKA, they’re going to work together to bring this project back to life.
In a video confirming the announcement, Kamen says that his company and Toyota are going to take everything that’s great about the iBOT and “enhance it with 15 years of improvements in technology,” so simply put, the wheelchair is going to be even more useful once they’re done with it.
The agreement between these two companies allows Toyota to license DEKA’s technologies and bring an update iBOT wheelchair to the market. Toyota will also license the technology for other purposes including medical rehabilitative therapy. No timeframe has been provided yet.
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