It is called POIMO and it the first inflatable scooter: it is carried in the backpack and, if necessary, can be inflated with a small electric pump.
Japan is home to some of the most extravagant inventions in the world. After the non-slip shoes inspired by the ancient art of kirigami and the wooden fiber cars (we talked about it here) this time it’s the “turn” of the first inflatable scooter. The name is POIMO – an acronym for “portable and inflatable mobility” – and was born from the intuition of a group of students at the University of Tokyo. It is a scooter powered by electricity. So far nothing new. What is new is that the chassis is not rigid but inflatable. Just like a beach raft, POIMO inflates in seconds with a small electric pump and can be used for short trips, especially in the city. When deflated, POIMO can be carried comfortably in a backpack while – once inflated – it can easily support the weight of an adult man. The base of the scooter is similar to a skateboard and has four rubber wheels.
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POIMO: the inflatable scooter that comes from Japan
The inflatable scooter was designed by students Hiroki Sato, Young ah Seong, Ryosuke Yamamura, Hiromasa Hayashi, Katsuhiro Hata, Hisato Ogata, Ryuma Niiyama and Yoshihiro Kawahara. The project was presented on the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) digital platform as “Extended Abstracts” during the CHI 2020 conference on human factors in information systems. POIMO is made of thermoplastic polyurethane and, according to its designers, could be the progenitor of a new generation of veihcle inspired by the concept of “soft mobility”. The aim is to promote travel in large cities through light, innovative, eco-sustainable and (in this case) inflatable vehicles. Will it be a success?
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