Mobility Machine Needs No Help at Tokyo Airport
2020-06-12
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1Call it a mobility system or a wheelchair - it can be seen at the Tokyo airport moving on its own.
2It is helping with social distancing while fighting the spread of the coronavirus.
3It also helps older passengers and those who otherwise need assistance walking the last few steps to the boarding gate.
4The mobility system seats one person and runs on its own without hitting anything.
5It has a pre-programmed path of about 600 meters at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport.
6It was shown Monday by WHILL, the company behind the technology.
7WHILL Chief Executive Satoshi Sugie said robotics and self-driving technology reduce the need for a human at the wheel.
8They are good for these times of "living with" coronavirus.
9"We are...developing our business in order to help restore a world where people can enjoy moving around with peace of mind," he told The Associated Press.
10The ride lasts several minutes.
11It travels from the security area to the boarding gate at a speed of 3.5 kilometers per hour.
12But many people hope the technology can help in other places, such as hospitals or parks.
13The technology uses sensors and cameras to see a clear path and avoid hitting those walking toward it.
14It could also help Japan free up laborers.
15Japan, like many other nations, suffers from a labor shortage.
16The technology could free a worker to do another job.
17Tests have been carried out at several airports since last year, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
18The company hopes to put it in airports around the world.
19The person on the machine can start or stop it through a simple controller.
20It runs on batteries and is programmed to return to where it started when its passenger gets off.
21Anyone needing help walking long distances can use it at Terminal One at Haneda airport.
22It is called the "last-mile mobility," says WHILL.
23I'm Susan Shand.
1Call it a mobility system or a wheelchair - it can be seen at the Tokyo airport moving on its own. 2It is helping with social distancing while fighting the spread of the coronavirus. It also helps older passengers and those who otherwise need assistance walking the last few steps to the boarding gate. 3The mobility system seats one person and runs on its own without hitting anything. It has a pre-programmed path of about 600 meters at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport. It was shown Monday by WHILL, the company behind the technology. 4WHILL Chief Executive Satoshi Sugie said robotics and self-driving technology reduce the need for a human at the wheel. They are good for these times of "living with" coronavirus. 5"We are...developing our business in order to help restore a world where people can enjoy moving around with peace of mind," he told The Associated Press. 6The ride lasts several minutes. It travels from the security area to the boarding gate at a speed of 3.5 kilometers per hour. But many people hope the technology can help in other places, such as hospitals or parks. The technology uses sensors and cameras to see a clear path and avoid hitting those walking toward it. 7It could also help Japan free up laborers. Japan, like many other nations, suffers from a labor shortage. The technology could free a worker to do another job. 8Tests have been carried out at several airports since last year, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The company hopes to put it in airports around the world. 9The person on the machine can start or stop it through a simple controller. It runs on batteries and is programmed to return to where it started when its passenger gets off. 10Anyone needing help walking long distances can use it at Terminal One at Haneda airport. It is called the "last-mile mobility," says WHILL. 11I'm Susan Shand. 12The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 13________________________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15mobility- adj. the ability to move 16boarding gate- n. the place to leads to the airplane 17robotics- n. machine that do human tasks 18sensor- n. a light that senses motion 19battery- n. a energy storage device