Futuristic Mobility Scooter for Elderly Demonstrated at Osaka Expo; Automated Operation Eyed

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:24 JST, July 29, 2025

OSAKA — An electric mobility scooter was demonstrated at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo in Osaka on Tuesday.

The four-wheeled vehicle is designed for use by the elderly and is aimed at being capable of automated operation in the future.

The Waku Mobi is about 1.7 meters long and about 60 centimeters wide and has a top speed of 20 kph. Reporters were shown the vehicle being remotely controlled in a designated outdoor space at the Expo. It moved slowly for about 50 meters, then navigated an uneven surface and made a smooth turn using its automated control function.

The demonstration was part of an exhibition themed on a future in which robots and humans coexist. The vehicle was developed by glafit inc., a startup based in Wakayama.

“We hope this vehicle will spread as a means of transportation for the elderly when they go shopping,” a glafit employee working on the demonstration said.