Personal Mobility Device Company WHILL Follows Tesla and Google to Transform the Way of Transportation Through Smartphone App Integration
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 29, 2014 – As giants such as Tesla and Google are attempting to disrupt the transportation market with cloud service and autonomous driving on the road, WHILL is following their footsteps for mobility on the sidewalks. Scott McNealy is one of the investors for WHILL who believes there is a huge market for those who are challenged with mobility.
“It’s a wonderful step forward to providing hardware technology and cloud technology to people who can really take advantage through increased mobility and access,” said Scott McNealy, Sun Systems Co-Founder and former CEO” This is a smart investment in terms of providing better quality of life to people as they age or facing earlier life mobility challenges.”
As a first step towards the better future that WHILL envisions, WHILL integrated hardware and software for the WHILL Model A. This opened up a whole new area of possibility that was very limited with just the hardware. Now, the path to personal mobility devices transforming and transcending to something beyond simple transportation method is layed out.
“There are so many different types of users such as senior citizens, children, and temporarily injured who use a mobility device. “We wanted to create a product that would fit these different types of users,” said WHILL, Inc. CEO Satoshi Sugie. “WHILL is planning to periodically update the software to add new and innovative functions.”
Thanks to the new WHILL iPhone App, wireless Bluetooth connectivity gives users the ability to control WHILL Model A even when not riding. This allows the user to park his or her WHILL away when sitting on the couch to save space in the living room. Or let their companion control the remote while walking beside you, and not behind you, when having a conversation.
The WHILL App also allows you to adjust speed and acceleration preferences
on the fly to accommodate any situation. This provides versatility for indoor and outdoor use. For example, you can choose between “Comfort Mode” for a gentle driving experience inside your house and “Active Mode” to move quickly for when you take your dog for a walk at the park.
The Map feature lets you track the location of WHILL through integrated GPS in case your loved ones get lost. This Map screen can also tell you how fast WHILL is moving as well as how much battery power is charged on your WHILL.
The App includes remote controls for the Seat Slide feature on your screen which makes it easy to operate for everyone including people who have difficulties reaching the physical buttons on the side of WHILL’s arm.
WHILL is attending CES 2015 (Sands #73038) and will be demonstrating the WHILL iPhone App at the booth.
According to the OECD Historical population data and projections, more than 32 million Americans will be over the age of 80 by 2050. (See graph below)
ABOUT WHILL
Based in San Francisco and Japan, WHILL is an award-winning hardware company transforming the personal mobility space with unmatched cutting edge design and technology. Winner of IDEA Award and Red Dot Award. For more information visit www.whill.us or follow WHILL on Twitter: @_WHILL.
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