Page 13 - Mobility Management, April 2019

WHILL Demonstrates Autonomous Technology at CES
WHILL’s Model Ci
WHILL, the California-based manufacturer of power wheelchairs and personal mobility devices, demon- strated autonomous technology at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The focus of WHILL’s presence at the show was what the company called “an integral part of mobili- ty-as-a-service (MaaS) infrastructure of the future, the WHILL Autonomous Drive.”
“The WHILL Autonomous Drive PEV (Personal Electric Vehicle) will be common in future public settings, such as theme parks, museums, hospitals, shopping malls, airports and city centers,” said Satoshi Sugie, co-founder and CEO of WHILL, in a news announcement. “In the not-so-distant future, a user who has difficulty walking
will merely ‘summon’ the vehicle. The WHILL Autonomous Drive technology will allow even first-time operators to experience greater independence as they’re relieved of the burden of requiring assistance.”
The manufacturer is beta testing its autonomous tech- nology and has signed agreements with “several major airports,” including London’s Heathrow Airport, to test WHILL’s vehicles at those locations.
WHILL’s system of automated dispatching and returning of its mobility vehicles is expected to have several benefits, the manufacturer said, including reducing operating expenses at airports and reducing the amount of time that passengers need to wait for available wheelchairs and wheelchair attendants. m
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