Found an I-Bot in the wild.

May I present the "I-BOT" wheelchair, designed by Dean Kamen (Better known for the Segway Scooter.)

Now, I have seen these wheelchairs before on TV and at tech demonstrations but this is the first time that I have found one "In the wild." A passenger on the Link Light Rail was using one. I would not have made note of this except that:

• He was waiting at the platform in the 2-wheel standing mode.
• He had taken the escalator to the platform level.
• He boarded the train, maneuvered through the central part (C-Section) of the passenger area.
• Remained in the standing position while the train started moving.

When the train started moving, the chair did a wonderful job of maintaining it's balance, but did have to retreat about 5 feet to recover it's 'footing.' As the train rolled away, I saw the operator lower the chair to it's low or flat setting.

This is a marvelous invention, and I was very impressed with it's ability to adapt to the moving train. It's a shame they have to be so expensive. ($26,000 at a glance.)

(Photo from "New Mobility" web site.)