Despite the Segway becoming a household name, personal mobility vehicles have so far failed to make it to the world’s sidewalks in any great numbers. Still, some intriguing concepts over the years from the likes of Toyota, Honda and GM suggest that the wheels of the personal mobility revolution are still turning – if slowly. Hyundai is now getting into the act with its “E4U” personal mobility vehicle concept that was spied at the Seoul Motor Show last week by Nikkei Tech-On.
Hyundai’s egg-shaped vehicle sets itself apart by sitting atop a horizontally-spinning semisphere that is used for propulsion instead of wheels. The driver stands on a small platform and directs the vehicle by tilting it so that different sides of the semisphere contact the ground. Tech-On says this is similar to the way a helicopter works, with two rear wheels providing stability and friction to act like a helicopter’s tail rotor.
Other details are scant, but another “interesting” feature is the that the top of the vehicle can be removed and worn by the driver as an eye-catching helmet. This is dominated by a large clear visor that seems more fitting for higher speeds than the walking pace the concept is currently capable of.
According to Tech-On, Hyundai’s Advanced Design Department only began development of the E4U in October 2012, so we’ll be interested to see where this concept goes.
Source: Nikkei Tech-On
I think a cooler concept is something like public transportation meets automated driving. The cars on tracks at some theme parts are an OK example: http://i.imgur.com/zWJPm6a.jpg
Instead of having the train/subway etc. stop at every stop on the way to where you are going, have a couple lanes so only the cars that need to stop exit. Cars can travel under provided power/automation while on the public track and drive under their own power after they are off the track.
The cars can be "routed" in a sense to their destination by computing technology that can re-route around congestion like they are packets on the Internet.
You could rent access to the vehicles and when you get to where you are going instead of finding a place to park you send it back to the network. Because automation it allows empty cars/cells to be sent the other way on the track to get more people, sort of like a ski lift.
Less automation technology than something like the Google car would be needed because the cars would follow (and communicate with) a track. You could pile the cars closer because if one vehicle must stop for an object in the path the cars behind it could be slowed/stopped at the same time rather than waiting for drivers to observe the cars in front had stopped after they look up from their phones etc.
This would be much cooler than the subway or mostly similar public transportation methods. Even if the containers/cars/cells etc. were not permitted to exit the track and drive on roads the smaller size would at least allow for closer smaller stations so you have less walking after you get where you are going or maybe prevent having to drive to the first station.