Tag Archives: mobility

This electric wheelchair is a smart ride sharing service designed for inclusive micro-mobility!

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Mobility is a privilege we take for granted. Keeping in mind that there is a good portion of the demographic who can’t move about as freely as they wish, Italdesign created WheeM-i (Wheelchair Mobility Integration) – a proposal for the first-ever shared micro-mobility service for wheelchair users. It is a 100% electric, semi-autonomous carrier that brings the latest driving assistance technology and electric propulsion together for people with mobility restrictions who can now move around freely and easily because it makes otherwise unfriendly parts of the city more accessible!

WheeM-i is a collaboration between Italdesign and Etisalat and was displayed at the GITEX Technology Week in Dubai as the equivalent of a bike-sharing system for wheelchairs. Users will be able to book their WheeM-i ride through a smartphone app, reach the closest hub and then get on board the vehicle. Just like other Bird, Lime, and other bike-sharing services, the user will return the vehicle to the closest hub around their destination. It features an integrated system that helps users avoid collisions with any fixed or mobile obstacles. The vehicle is also engineered in a way that it easily overcomes architectural barriers. The app enables users to interact with the device, other wheelchair users, other means of transport as well as other transport applications so that they can map the best possible route to get from A to B.

“As a company providing development services to the worldwide mobility industry, we strongly believe that future mobility must have a positive impact on everyone’s life. WheeM-i is part of this vision which we really hope to bring to reality,” said Italdesign CEO Jörg Astalosch. Micro-mobility designs and services like WheeM-i are giving the people on wheelchairs a whole new layer of independence in their lives.

Designer: Italdesign

Someone Turned a Volkswagen Inside Out and It’s Messing with My Mind

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Volkswagen messed with people earlier this week by trying to convince us that they had changed their name to “Voltswagen.” It turned out to be an April Fools joke in the end, but it definitely ruffled some feathers because they made the announcement on March 30, which convinced journalists that it was actual news. But you know what Volkswagen news isn’t an April Fools joke? This inside-out Golf GTI.

The guys at Concours d’Lemons posted this insanely-deformed Volkswagen on their Facebook page. I’m not sure who built this monstrosity, but it looks like something that might have happened if you sent a VW through a transporter beam and something went horribly wrong during the reconstitution process. Where is the driver supposed to sit? I guess they’re just supposed to hang onto the wheel for dear life. Also, the idea of seeing your own taillights while driving is so wrong. Stop tailgating yourself!

On the plus side, Volkswagen can claim that it has zero emissions because all of the exhaust ends up inside of the car. Or is that the outside? I’m so confused.

Man Builds Electric-Powered Ice Skates That Double as Meat Grinders

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Because you don’t know until you try, and not trying may haunt you for the rest of your life, Simon Sörensen of YouTube channel RCLifeOn went and built himself a pair of electric-powered ice skates using parts from an electric skateboard. I can already see myself scoring the winning goal in a hockey game. Wait – or is that me getting ejected for wearing electric skates?

Each skate has an electric motor surrounded by a spiked wheel mounted on the heel, along with shock absorbers (which he later replaces with solid rods) to ensure the wheel remains in constant contact with the ice. He controls the wheels’ rotation via a handheld controller, and both skates are powered via a battery worn in a backpack and not by the power of Greyskull like I would have used. What? He-Man doesn’t need it all.

Simon warns at 10:48 in the video that if you’re interested in building similar skates to be careful, and uses one of the spiked wheels to grind a hotdog and carrot to demonstrate what might happen if you fell on one of them. I think it goes without saying, but that does not look like a very pleasant experience.

[via Hackaday]

A Faux Fur Chewbacca Water Bottle Holder

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Because the thought of getting faux fur in your mouth while taking a sip of water is universally appealing, this is the Star Wars Chewbacca Bottle Cooler available for pre-order from Entertainment Earth for $20. Designed to hold 20 to 32 oz. water bottles & 750ml bottles (wait – of liquor?!), the carrier includes “powerful insulation” to keep your bottle as cool as Luke Skywalker on Hoth prior to sleeping inside a tauntaun.

While they call the product a “cooler,” I’d argue it doesn’t actually do any cooling, it just keeps your bottle from warming as quickly as it would without insulation. So it’s technically a slow-warmer or a hairy koozie.

As Chewbacca would say, “GGGWARRRHHWWWW!” Or would this be more of a “WWWRRRRRRGWWWRRRR” situation? Whatever the case, Disney better be giving Chewie a cut of the royalties from these products, because, as Han Solo once warned C-3PO, “It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee.” Wiser words have never been spoken.

[via GeeksAreSexy]

The NOMAD Briefcase Grill & Smoker: For Cooking on the Go

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Because you never know when the need to grill or smoke some meat is going to hit you, NOMAD has developed the Briefcase Grill & Smoker, a $600 portable grill and smoker in the form of a 28-pound briefcase. Am I going to handcuff it to my wrist and pretend it contains the nuclear launch codes? No, I’ve done that before and lost the key and it turned into a whole big thing.

The cast aluminum briefcase measures approximately 21″ x 14″ x 10″ and opens to reveal 212 or 425 square inches of total grilling space depending on if you’re using a single side or both. Its exterior includes an integrated thermometer and is specially coated to reduce the shell’s temperature and make it safe to cook on most outdoor surfaces. From what I gathered from their marketing material though, it was not designed to cook while carrying like a briefcase, which is a shame because that’s exactly what I was looking for.

I remember the first time I went camping and thought I was so smart for packing a George Foreman grill. Well, it turns out I was not so smart because there were no electrical outlets in those rocks and trees. I ate a lot of cold hot dogs that weekend.

[via TechCrunch]

Off-Road Electric Unicycle Can Go Up To 34MPH: Look Ma, No Hands!

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Because there’s a personal electric vehicle for everyone no matter what their taste, InMotion has released the $2,000 V11 electric unicycle, a one-wheeled EV with a traditional unicycle form factor. Obviously, I’m about to take my circus act to the next level.

The V11 comes with a 2,200-watt motor powered by a 1,500Wh battery and has about a 75-mile range. One of the cycle’s unique features is its off-road capability, made possible by its large 18-inch tire (3-inches wide) and air suspension with 2.7-inches of vertical travel, making the unit capable of climbing inclines up to 35-degrees. Which is great news, because I really don’t like walking on inclines of 35-degrees.

Did I mention the V11 can reach speeds up to 34MPH? I did, right in the title. For reference, 34MPH is 14MPH faster than anybody should ever travel on a unicycle, and 24MPH faster than any sane person ever would. Let’s hack one to go even faster!

[via The Gadget Flow]

Rats Have Learned to Drive Tiny Cars

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Apparently, because we don’t already have enough problem with scooters weaving in and out of traffic, scientists are working on a way for rats to drive around in miniature cars now. Yes, they can now literally join the rat race.

Image: Kelly Lambert / University of Richmond

As part of their studies of the cognitive abilities of rats, researchers from the Lambert Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Richmond have built miniature cars that rats can use to drive around. Now, these rats aren’t just driving to work or the shopping mall. They need more incentive than that. Their objective: Froot Loops.

The ratmobiles were built using see-through food containers mounted onto motorized platforms. Each one is rigged up with copper bars that the rats press on to steer the cars left and right, or to drive forward towards the colorful breakfast cereal treat. As scientists placed Froot Loops around the floor, the rats gradually learned to navigate towards their targets.

It’s pretty cool that rats can drive cars now, but I won’t be truly impressed until they learn how to drive a stick shift.

[via NewScientist via CNet]

Dodge Challenger Hellcat Hearse Gets You to the Grave on Time

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Have you ever gotten stuck in traffic behind a funeral procession? Those things move so slowly. Perhaps they’d move faster if the hearse had more horsepower. Something like a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with its 700+ horses, should do the trick.

Image by Rain Prisk

Artist Rain Prisk came up with this awesome concept design for a Challenger Hellcat Hearse, with its rear end extended to make room for your dearly departed and their casket. If a 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi engine wasn’t enough to motivate this thing to the cemetery, it’s got a sleek, streamlined roof design that should definitely cut down on aerodynamic drag. Funerals are normally such quiet and somber affairs. There’s zero doubt that the Hellcat’s impressive exhaust note would perk up those in attendance.

Amazing concept, Rain! If you ever manage to convince Dodge to build one of these, I’d like to book my advance reservation now, so I can travel to my final resting place the same way I drove while I was alive.

Renault’s switchable cabin pod comes with 2 design interiors to perfect the work-life balance

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Urban spaces are getting constricted by the day, and the situation isn’t going to improve in the near future by the look of things. There are countless design iterations that aim to get over this predicament when it comes to mobility in the overcrowded streets. One thing that could however change is the way we balance our work and leisure life. Can’t it be more seamless, set up in a personal space that makes traversing from one place to the other complete fun?

Designer Jun Young Kim’s Renault E.O (Everybody Own Your Space) is a hyper pod of the future – which is more like a second home – giving one the flexibility to be ultra-productive in a distraction-free ambient environment or simply relax with family and friends enjoying the visual elements that traverse you to a place of calm and serenity. The smart glass encapsulating the upper section of the pod can be set to any natural environment mimicking the scene to isolate yourself from the chaos of the outside world. It has two separate modes – Working Day and Resting Day which have interiors tailored for the specific profile. The former is more airy and casual while the latter has a professional set up with things like a movable display and focus aiding distraction-free setup.

The whole idea of this concept design by Jun is to give the user the utmost freedom while in commute to wind-up in a relaxed space or be ready for a quick meeting with an important client. What’s more, the two cabin modes can be ordered as and when required or even exchanged from the service provider. These cabins fit as easily as a Lego piece in the movable pod, so you could be in the beast mode for the complete week and then exchange it up for the weekends to get some quaint time. If you can own both the cabins, what better than that!

Designer: Jun Young Kim

Tesla Monster Cybertruck Concept Looks Straight out of Damnation Alley

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The Tesla Cybertruck already features a bonkers design that looks like something out of a 1980s science fiction movie. The angular, all-electric pickup truck has a pretty intimidating presence as shown in factory form, but it’s definitely more of an urban assault vehicle than something you could seriously take off-road. Now, thanks to a talented 3D illustrator, we have an idea of what a more rugged version of the Cybertruck might look like. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Tesla Monster Cybertruck…

This lifted Cybertruck concept was created by 3D modeler Shubbak3D to help promote their design services. It looks pretty amazing with that massively-raised suspension and riding on enormous off-road tires that look like they could make quick work of sand dunes. The design also features a custom-fitted metal roof rack that attaches to the Cybertruck’s bed, offering storage space for Overlanding equipment.

Click to the second picture in the Instagram post below for a view that shows off the truck’s backside:

Amazing work, Shubbak3D! I just want to know when we can buy one of these monster Cybertrucks so I can hit the trails or crush some cars with it.

[via TopSpeed]