Toyota Made a 4-Wheeled Segway That You Bond With Like a Horse

11-06-2013 • http://www.wired.com, By Damon Lavrinc

A Segway-Tamagotchi hybrid that you stand up to drive and that you’re supposed to bond with like a horse. Seriously.

It’s called the FV2, and it’s just the first of many oddball concepts poised to spring out of the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.

“Toyota believes the relationships between drivers and their vehicles will continue to develop aspects of trust and understanding,” the automaker says in its release. “Similar to those a rider will have with a horse.”

And just like a horse, there’s no steering wheel. Instead, the driver stands and shifts his body forwards, back, left, or right to control the FV2, similar to a Segway.

Using voice and facial expression recognition, the FV2 can determine the driver’s disposition, with the exterior changing colors like a four-wheeled mood ring. And naturally, there’s a host of connected tech, with road and traffic sensors letting you and your steed know what’s around the next bend, and a “windshield” with a detailed augmented reality display.

To get a better idea of how the FV2 works, Toyota’s released apps for both iOS and Android, but it isn’t saying how the modern horse is motivated — not that it will ever see production, anyway.