A Singapore startup recently launched an electric mobility concept that looks like an unhappy marriage between an office chair and a mobility scooter. The Strutt ev1 sports a sensor array and smart algorithms that feed into a built-in drive-assist system.
Personal transporters come in all shapes and sizes – from motorized blades to ebikes to electrified quadricycles. Some you can use on public roads and some you can't. It's unclear at this point where the Strutt ev1 will roll along, but perhaps it might be a good fit for business parks, university campuses or gated retirement villages. The current prototypes and development visuals don't show any safety harnesses or rain covers though, and we expect this to be a fairly slow roller.
"Our vision is to reimagine what a mobility device can be," says the company's founder and CEO, Tony Hong. "The Strutt ev1 isn't just about moving from Point A to Point B. It's about helping you live with fewer practical barriers, less stress and enabling you to spend more time on the things that matter."
Users are welcomed to the Strutt party by a sturdy looking padded seat and back support. The chair arms sport a joystick to the right and a touch-enabled interface to the left. The idea is to offer manual control when navigating familiar environs, and then opt for one of two modes elsewhere.
A Support mode will tap into the onboard Co-Pilot – which makes use of LiDAR sensors that feed real-time data on the surroundings to smart algorithms – to modulate speed and apply brakes when necessary "to avoid unseen obstruction and collisions in tight spaces." Otherwise, the user drives the transporter using the joystick.
The Glide mode allows the Co-Pilot to muscle in on the drive for a more autonomous kind of ride experience. "Glide mode modulates your input with continuous adjustments to speed and direction, plotting a clear path around obstacles, in complex and challenging environments. Glide mode frees you up to be present with others and enjoy your surroundings."
The platform below the seating area hosts a quad-motor drive system with independent wheel control, and the promise of "exceptional torque for superior performance on inclines and challenging surfaces." The blurb also mentions an integrated suspension system for smooth rolling across "diverse terrains – from smooth indoor floors to uneven outdoor trails."
The motors and systems are powered by a removable Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack that's reckoned good for "day trips without battery worry, with double the capacity of other personal vehicles" – though actual figures have not been shared at this point.
That's about all we know for the moment. The company is currently at the prototyping stage of development, and hasn't revealed a production timeline or potential pricing for the Strutt ev1. What do you think? Can you see something like this being part of your region's e-mobility mix?
Source: Strutt
