OREANDA-NEWS. NTT DOCOMO, INC., a personalized mobile solutions provider for smarter living, and WHILL Inc., a next-generation personal vehicle developer, announced today they will integrate one of WHILL's compact single-passenger electric vehicles and DOCOMO's personal-vehicle-sharing system technologies to offer to local governments and enterprise customers in Japan.

The WHILL Model-A is a four-wheel electric wheelchair with segmented, all-directional front wheels for enhanced maneuverability over slopes, bumps and other varied surfaces.

The vehicles will be integrated with DOCOMO technologies for wireless communication, GPS and remote control, which will be combined in a wireless system for the management of shared vehicles.

The collaboration will expand the availability of the WHILL Model-A for shared-vehicle systems, allowing users to travel more freely in spaces such as public facilities and amusement parks. The two companies will begin accepting orders from April 1.

WHILL has been funded by NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DOCOMO, since 2014.

About NTT DOCOMO   

NTT DOCOMO provides innovative, convenient and secure mobile services that enable smarter living for each customer. The company serves over 65 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world's first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges.

About WHILL Inc.   

Based in San Francisco and Japan, WHILL, winner of the IDEA Award and Red Dot Award, is a hardware company transforming personal mobility with unmatched cutting-edge design and technology.