Ibot

From Toy to Technology & the Segway was born.

Who remembers playing with a gyroscope as a child? The present given to youat Christmas by your parents, to introduce you to science.

Many years later, in 1990, an American inventor called Dean Kamen, and his company, DEKA, in partnership with Johnson & Johnson, designed an electrical version of a gyroscope, to which the technology involved was used to create the IBOT

The IBOT is a wheelchair with technology that would look more at home on a Mars landing vehicle, than a home or high street. It can climb stairs, kerbs, is all-terrain on sand gravel and ice, stand on its read wheels, raise the occupant up to 6ft high and even travel up to 3ft under water. The only things it cannot do is Michael Jacksons Moonwalk or bake you a red velvet cake

The first working prototypes were available in 1992. In 1994, Johnson & Johnson were contracted to manufacture the units It was a secret project, named project FRED, after Fred Astaire, carried out in Lacy’s Spring Alabama. By the time it was released to the public on 30^th June 1999, Johnson & Johnson had spent $50,000,000 on the project. During this development, a non medical device was created, called the Segway PT. This was nicknamed Ginger, after Fred Astaires partner, Ginger Rogers.

From 2004, the shipping of the IBOT4000 to customers began. From 2009, the IBOT was no longer available, with support continuing until 2013. This was due to cost reasons, with a retail price of $25,000 per unit.

In 2014, the IBOT was reclassified from a class 3 to a class 2 medical device, allowing for redevelopment. In 2016, DEKA teamed up with Toyota, the develop a device aimed at wounded veterans in the USA

Hence the IBOT & Segway were born.