Mobility

BMW's Group Technology Office in Shanghai has put forward a mobility concept for megacities that would raise zero-emission single-track commuters above ground roads using a giant network of elevated pathways that snake through the city between key transit points.

Climbing stairs is a chore that's inspired some creative alternatives. Now a team from Georgia Tech and Emory University has developed energy-recycling stairs that take some of the pressure off the knees and ankles, by storing energy from people descending then giving it back as they climb up.

The XTND electric skateboard has decent specs, but its real selling point is the AI that’s riding shotgun. The board can adjust its settings to match rider style, suggest better routes, help you track its location and lock itself when you’re not standing on it properly.

Studio Rotor was recently tasked with designing an electric people carrier to get folks with reduced mobility safely from gate to gate in comfort. Its Multimobby concept seats seven passengers, has low level entry, and has onboard sensors to help avoid collisions. And it has a zero turning radius.

​One year ago, German company e-volo caught our attention by sending its crazy 18-rotor Volocopter into the sky with a human aboard. It has now made some revisions and this week unveiled a sleeker Volocopter 2, which it plans to start testing next year.

In a newly published study, Harvard researchers have taken another step forward in the development of a soft exosuit, isolating the suit's load-bearing benefits and determining that it can result in energy savings of almost 23 percent.​

​​The cross-platform collaboration tool Slack just announced a new way that it will organize communication. The Threads feature, rolling out over the next few days, allows users to group related messages without clogging up an entire communication channel.​

Hyundai is running full-steam ahead with the "mobility company" strategy at this year's CES, showing various technologies to help you jump from A to B to C and back again. It's showing a trio of robotic exoskeletons along with a last-mile electric scooter.

With the One S1, Segway appears to be targeting even more niche markets with a single-wheel design that, although self-balancing, the company warns "is not for everyone" and takes some skill to ride.

The mySmartCane system is the latest modern-day take on a centuries-old mobility aid, consisting of a ball that can be retrofitted to existing canes to equip them with parking sensor-like technology and give users a better sense of their surroundings.

A new wheelchair has been designed to make life easier for individuals living with disabilities in developing regions. The SafariSeat, from London-based Uji, is aimed at being affordable, easy to repair with inexpensive parts, and able to be manufactured and repaired locally.

Ford has announced the acquisition of crowd-sourced shuttle service Chariot, a collaboration with bike-sharing provider Motivate, and plans to establish a new team that will work with cities around the world to help people get around more easily. All are part of its ongoing move towards mobility.