Alternative Transportation Solutions for Community Navigation - Overcoming Obstacles through Social Assistance Mobility Programs
In a significant stride towards enhancing mobility options for people with disabilities, Toyota has unveiled its innovative one-touch wheelchair securement system. The system, designed to improve the experience of wheelchair users on public transportation buses, is part of Toyota's ongoing efforts to address the mobility needs of people with disabilities.
The system aims to replace the use of belts and wires for securing wheelchairs on buses, streamlining the process and making it more efficient. This development is expected to improve safety and convenience for both passengers and transit operators.
The development of this system is being achieved through a combination of advanced technology, user-centered design, and mechanical innovation. One-touch securement systems use mechanical docking ports or automated clamps integrated into vehicle floors or securement areas. These can lock onto wheelchair frames automatically when the wheelchair aligns with the securement point, ensuring a stable connection without manual physical handling.
Toyota's efforts include the development of the wheelchair-type mobility vehicle JUU and the compact mobile toilet for accessible toilets. The mobility development team is looking for solutions to reasons beyond inaccessible toilets that prevent wheelchair users from going where they want, such as not wanting to impose on others.
The one-touch system is being pursued as a key innovation to enhance public transportation accessibility for wheelchair users by simplifying and speeding up the boarding, securing, and disembarkation processes. This system is expected to improve safety, enhance independence for wheelchair users, speed up boarding and alighting, and increase accessibility for multiple disability types.
At the International Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition held at Tokyo Big Sight in September 2023, the wheelchair-type mobility vehicle under development at the Toyota Booth, named JUU, was demonstrated. JUU, which has a flipper that automatically extends from the rear, allowing it to navigate stairs and bumpy roads, was met with enthusiasm by a woman in a wheelchair who expressed her excitement, stating it was like a dream to scale stairs.
Corporations have also purchased these mobile toilets and are renting them out for events, expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The new technology for the wheelchair one-touch securement system will be showcased in the second half of the program, further demonstrating Toyota's commitment to creating diverse mobility options under the slogan, "We want to get everyone where they want to go!"
[1] May Mobility. (n.d.). Autonomous vehicles for wheelchair users: A promising future for accessible transportation. Retrieved from https://maymobility.com/blog/autonomous-vehicles-for-wheelchair-users/ [2] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (n.d.). Transportation of people with disabilities: Wheelchair securement. Retrieved from https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/wheelchairs [3] Transportation Research Board. (2018). Transit bus securement system for manual wheelchairs: Final report. Retrieved from https://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/198763.aspx [4] University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. (n.d.). Accessible design for the future of transportation: Autonomous vehicles for people with disabilities. Retrieved from https://umtri.umich.edu/research-programs/autonomous-vehicles-for-people-with-disabilities
- This one-touch wheelchair securement system, a Product of Toyota's technology and design innovation, aligns with the company's commitment towards improving health-and-wellness by making public transportation more accessible for wheelchair users.
- The development of the compact mobile toilet by Toyota, being rented out by corporations for events, not only expands employment opportunities for people with disabilities but also addresses the issue of health-and-wellness in fitness-and-exercise by facilitating access to bathroom facilities.
- The finance industry is showing interest in Toyota's mobility innovations, recognizing their potential impact on the health-and-wellness sector by enhancing the mobility needs of individuals with disabilities.
- As autonomous vehicles for wheelchair users are being explored by companies like May Mobility and Toyota (as demonstrated by the JUU vehicle), the health-and-wellness and mental-health of wheelchair users stand to benefit significantly from increased transportation options and independence.
