A team of innovators from Japan have come up with a “next generation personal mobility” device aimed at providing those confined to wheelchairs with a new way of maneuvering around town. The fantastically designed “Whill” device transforms any existing wheelchair into an electric mobility device.
On show at this years Tokyo Motor Show the Whill project was first launched in July 2010 on social crowdfunding website Campfire, a Japanese equivalent to Kickstarter. The young team made up of 10 members, including a mix of designers, engineers and marketeers, exceeded their original target of ¥500,000 and received funding just short of a million yen as their project proved particularly popular amongst the micro patrons.
The detachable unit was created in response to feedback with a number of wheelchair users and existing designs. Able to be attached to any existing wheelchair the unit transforms it into an electric mobility device that can reach speeds up to 20km/h powered by a lithium battery.
Incredibly well designed of the unit is particularly striking and intuitive, made up of a curved control panel containing an embedded force sensor which is used to steer and speed up the wheelchair by simple exerting pressure in the right areas.
The Whill is a great example of the fantastic industrial design that comes out of Japan, as functional as it is striking with a stripped back look and sleek lines. With the success it has seen on Campfire, the crowdfunding site has also featured the path that the Whill team followed with a nice behind the scenes video.
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Darrell is a native of the U.K. and has been in Japan since 2002. He consults on innovation and strategy at the 
