Panasonic Whill Next Self-governed wheelchair

2017: Announcement

In August, 2017 the Japanese corporation Panasonic announced creation of the self-governed Whill Next wheelchair which is intended for movement of physically disabled people at the airports.

Development began to be tested at the International airport of Tokyo. The person who is not able to move independently can cause a carriage through mobile application and specify the destination. It can be a front desk, the boarding gate to the airplane, shop or other point in the territory of air terminal.

Self-governed wheelchairs for the airports

The card allowing electronics by means of additional be guided sensors in space is loaded into a program component of a pilotless chair and to avoid collision with people, suitcases and other obstacles which can arise during driving on the brisk airport.

Whill Next is capable to pass without recharge to 24 km at a speed up to 9 km/h. Chairs can be integrated with carts for baggage. Besides, several carriages can move in  a tandem that is very convenient for family or group, and  after use of a robocarriage will be to be regrouped automatically that will reduce workload by  personnel of the airport. 

At approach of a charge of accumulators to zero or closing of the airport of a carriage Whill Next independently go to the special premises intended for maintenance, storage and battery charging.

Whill Next is developed together with Whill company which specializes in robotics. Testing of the self-governed wheelchair will last till March, 2018. Panasonic plans that such transport will ply at all airport Japanese terminals by the beginning of the Olympic Games which will be passed in 2020.^[1]

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