The RoboScooter is a prototype electric scooter from MIT and Taiwanese scooter manufacturer SYM. The tiny, fold up moto is simple (150 parts compared to 1,000+ for a gas scooter) but there are grand plans for its future. MIT professor William J. Mitchell plans a bike sharing network: The RoboScooter could be rented for one way trips between drop-off points, where it would be collapsed, stacked and charged.
The tiny design is inspired by origami, and made possible by putting the motors inside the wheels, which eliminates a bulky drive train. The whole thing transforms to the size of a suitcase.
Joel Johnson over at BoingBoing Gadgets wants one: he figures that his closet is a much safer place for storage than the mean streets of New York. It would also be perfect to keep in the trunk of the car: Traffic jams? Just park the car and unfold the Roboscooter.
Project page [Smart Cities via BB Gadgets]
Cuter scooter defined by electricity, portability uter scooter defined by electricity, portability [MIT News]
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