Flutterby™! : Inflatable E-Bike

Via the ever awesome Tara over at ResearchBuzz: Inflatable E-Bike Fits in a Backpack

The trend towards communal sidewalk-based personal mobility systems (like shared bikes and scooters) has resulted in some amount of actual personal mobility, but also a lot of cluttered sidewalks, injured riders and pedestrians, and questionable business models. Fortunately, there are other solutions to the last-kilometer problem that are less dangerous and annoying, like this prototype for an inflatable e-bike under development at the University of Tokyo. From a package of folded-up fabric that fits in a backpack, Poimo (POrtable and Inflatable MObility) can be quickly inflated with a small pump into a comfortable and intrinsically safe mobility system that can be deflated again and packed away once you get where you’re going.

INT032: Soft yet Strong Inflatable Structures for a Foldable and Portable Mobility (YouTube video)