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.)

Welcome

Yet another attempt to start a blog. This one should be focused mainly on my work with Seattle Central Link Light rail.

I am a Metro supervisor working for Sound Transit in Seattle, WA. I will address different aspects of my job, and interactions with the public.

I will also review products that I use in my job here. No review will be sponsored, this is just the stuff I found that works well for my job.