The dystopian future is closer than we thought as Segway-Ninebot has effectively unveiled their take on WALL-E’s hoverchairs.
Dubbed the S-Pod, the futuristic chair is billed as a “first-class smart transporting pod for enclosed campuses such as airports, theme parks and malls.”
Just like in the movie, the S-Pod is designed to alleviate the tedious task of walking. In order to do this, the self-balancing chair has been equipped with an “adaptive center-of-gravity automatic control system” and electric motors which enable the device to hit speeds of up to 24 mph (39 km/h).
I think about this scene from Wall-E at least once a month, if not more pic.twitter.com/JrsTlO4K3a
— J(enna) Wortham (@jennydeluxe) February 23, 2016
Since leaning would require effort, Segway developed an “intuitive assistive navigation panel” and a control knob which allows users to accelerate or slow down. The S-Pod can also rotate and spin, because turning your head would to be too tiring.
The S-Pod sounds like a dream product for the couch potatoes among us and Segway assures us the vehicle is safe as designers have eliminated the possibility of “tipping over in any situation.” Of course, safety is a relative term as trying to eliminate walking isn’t exactly healthy.
Segway didn’t say much else about the S-Pod, but they confirmed it has a remote control system and was inspired by a movie. Instead of the fat and lazy society of WALL-E, the company said the S-Pod took inspiration from the Gyrosphere featured in Jurassic World.
Besides the S-Pod, Segway-Ninebot will introduce a handful of other products at CES. They include an eScooter that can hit 62.1 mph (100 km/h) and an eMoped that can travel up to 46.6 miles (75 km) on a single charge. There will also be a variety of KickScooters and off-road focused Segways.
