1981 – Robot Rickshaw – Ryugi Sugama (Japanese)

Tokyo, Japan: The Orient's ancient rickshaw gets a very modern look near Tokyo recently. Hiromi Magara, clad in a kimono, smiles while riding in a robot driven (or drawn, if you will) rickshaw displayed at Honda's "New Idea" contest recently. The robot driven vehicle, devised by Honda Motors employee Ryugi Sugama at a cost of …