Toyota is apparently thriving financially, and it has money to throw away on building stuff based on previously proved mostly-useless contraptions such as the Segway personal transporter. Japan's Toyota Motor unveiled three versions of a Segway clone called Winglet, described as a personal transport assistance robot.

The Winglets cruise at 3.7 mph, can go about 3 miles (six miles on the top two models) before needing to be recharged and go smoothly over bumps on roads. There are three models: the "S," "M," and "L", with the latter featuring also a handling bar, similar to the Segway. They will recharge in one hour, but it's unclear how much they will cost. The S version weighs 22 pounds and can be folded and tossed into a bag.

Testing will start next year, Toyota said, at an airport in central Nagoya city and a shopping mall in Yokohama, west of Tokyo. Winglet is based on the expertise acquired by Toyota with the takeover of Sony Corp.'s robotics division last year. The division was best known for its Aibo pet robot and other high-tech contraptions.

The first Segway personal transporter was launched in 2001. Its design is inspired by the iBOT, is an innovative mobile powered wheelchair developed by Dean Kamen in a partnership between DEKA and Johnson and Johnson's Independence Technology division. The iBot is more complex and more expensive, aimed and only people with severe mobility problems.