Science & Technology

Bizarre crab-like robotic chair can literally carry someone upstairs

By T.K. Randall
November 9, 2025 ·  15 comments

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) For people with disabilities, wheelchairs may soon become a thing of the past thanks to the invention of a novel new mobility device that is essentially a seat on four legs that can walk around like a crab.

Developed by Toyota, the device - known as 'Walk Me' - features four articulated legs that can carry a user along the ground, up and down stairs and can even boost them to reach things that are high up.

Each of the four legs, which are encased within a soft, colorful material, operate independently.

The device even possesses some level of self-awareness thanks to its on-board LIDAR which enables it to detect how close it is to walls and other objects.Built-in stability sensors also ensure that the user is comfortable and stable during movement.

For controls, the user can manually tilt the seat to change direction, while a digital interface also provides a more nuanced option to control the chair's movements.

As things stand, the device is still at the prototype stage, but it is interesting to imagine a future in which people with mobility issues can move around in one of these.

Whether it will actually make it to the market, however, remains to be seen.

You can see the 'Walk Me' in action in the video below.


Source: Live Science | Comments (15)

Tags: Robot