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A Standing-Height, Hands-Free Powered Wheelchair
The Kim-e is "a self-balancing personal mobility robot"
This two-wheeled, self-balancing Kim-e powered wheelchair is by Lithuanian company Chronus Robotics. Aside from the fact that it provides mobility for people without the use of their legs, it has little in common with other powered wheelchairs.
At the press of button it extends its user to standing height, allowing them to maintain eye contact with others.
It also moves in this standing-height position and is not steered by joystick, but rather by the user's own upper body movements, allowing them to keep their hands free.
Additionally, at 59cm (23") wide it's more compact than a standard wheelchair and can effortlessly do zero-turns, making it more maneuverable.
The Kim-e weighs 38kg (84 lbs), can climb a 20-degree slope and has a top speed of 20 km/h (12.4 mph). Four hours of charging yields a 30km range.
Here it is in action:
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The Kim-e "can hardly be called a wheelchair," the company writes. They offer an alternative title: "A self-balancing personal mobility robot."
At press time prices had not been announced, though the company was offering sign-ups for test rides.
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And Segway made eye-level wheelchairs in their early days, at least to working prototype level.
From 2020: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/london-architects-standing-wheelchair-a4563816.html