RoboScooter
Encyclopedia
The RoboScooter is a foldable electric scooter developed by William J. Mitchell
of the Smart Cities program at the MIT Media Lab
. The vehicle was designed in conjunction with Taiwan
's SYM Motors
and the Industrial Technology Research Institute
.
The scooter is designed to use battery-powered electric motors in the wheels, with lithium-ion batteries that can be charged on special charging racks, by plugging in at home or by swapping batteries at special vending machines designed for this purpose. The scooter was designed to fold into a compact format, limiting the amount of parking or storage space needed, though a non-folding version could also be produced. The fold-up design would allow the scooter to be parked in 80% less space than traditional models. Like the MIT Car
and GreenWheel
, RoboScooter was developed by the MIT Media Lab Smart Cities program as a means to provide effective transportation within the world's cities, in a cost effective and energy efficient manner. Using the bicycle rental systems that have been implemented in Europe, a shopper might rent a scooter to drive to the supermarket to do their shopping, then rent a vehicle like the MIT Car
to return home with a car laden with groceries.
The RoboScooter was designed to have similar performance characteristics as gasoline-powered models with 50cc displacement engines. In the past, hybrid vehicles have required as much as 25% more parts than their internal combustion engine
-powered counterparts. The legacy vehicles typically have 1,000 to 1,500 components, while the RoboScooter is designed to be made with 150 parts, reducing supply chain issues, making construction easier and faster, and simplifying repairs, all in a vehicle that can be manufactured at a reduced cost compared to comparable traditional vehicles. A "show-quality" model of the RoboScooter was displayed in November 2007 at the Milan motorcycle show. MIT Media Lab staff estimated that the RoboScooter would weigh in at 85 pounds (38.6 kg), compared to the 265 pounds (120.2 kg) of a traditional gasoline-powered scooter loaded with a full tank of gasoline.
William J. Mitchell
William John Mitchell was an Australian-born architect and urban designer, who played a major role in planning a major expansion project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology....
of the Smart Cities program at the MIT Media Lab
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a laboratory of MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Devoted to research projects at the convergence of design, multimedia and technology, the Media Lab has been widely popularized since the 1990s by business and technology publications such as Wired and Red Herring for a...
. The vehicle was designed in conjunction with Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's SYM Motors
SYM Motors
SYM Sanyang Industry Co., Ltd. was founded in Taipei in 1954 by Huang Ji-Jun. The company's headquarters is established in Hsinchu, Taiwan and SYM's three major production bases are in Taiwan, China and Vietnam. The company manufactures and sells scooters, motorcycles and ATVs under the SYM brand...
and the Industrial Technology Research Institute
Industrial Technology Research Institute
The Industrial Technology Research Institute is a non-profit research institute located in Taiwan under the supervision of the Republic of China Ministry of Economic Affairs. It conducts research and development in applied technologies to advance private sector growth...
.
The scooter is designed to use battery-powered electric motors in the wheels, with lithium-ion batteries that can be charged on special charging racks, by plugging in at home or by swapping batteries at special vending machines designed for this purpose. The scooter was designed to fold into a compact format, limiting the amount of parking or storage space needed, though a non-folding version could also be produced. The fold-up design would allow the scooter to be parked in 80% less space than traditional models. Like the MIT Car
MIT Car
The MIT Car is a concept car project conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, for the purpose of exploring the idea of urban mobility. This intensive study on advanced human traveling has been in progress since 2003...
and GreenWheel
GreenWheel
The GreenWheel is a modular electronic assist device for bicycles that fits inside the wheel of any standard bicycle and provides additional power above and beyond the power provided by the person pedaling.Developed by William J...
, RoboScooter was developed by the MIT Media Lab Smart Cities program as a means to provide effective transportation within the world's cities, in a cost effective and energy efficient manner. Using the bicycle rental systems that have been implemented in Europe, a shopper might rent a scooter to drive to the supermarket to do their shopping, then rent a vehicle like the MIT Car
MIT Car
The MIT Car is a concept car project conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, for the purpose of exploring the idea of urban mobility. This intensive study on advanced human traveling has been in progress since 2003...
to return home with a car laden with groceries.
The RoboScooter was designed to have similar performance characteristics as gasoline-powered models with 50cc displacement engines. In the past, hybrid vehicles have required as much as 25% more parts than their internal combustion engine
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
-powered counterparts. The legacy vehicles typically have 1,000 to 1,500 components, while the RoboScooter is designed to be made with 150 parts, reducing supply chain issues, making construction easier and faster, and simplifying repairs, all in a vehicle that can be manufactured at a reduced cost compared to comparable traditional vehicles. A "show-quality" model of the RoboScooter was displayed in November 2007 at the Milan motorcycle show. MIT Media Lab staff estimated that the RoboScooter would weigh in at 85 pounds (38.6 kg), compared to the 265 pounds (120.2 kg) of a traditional gasoline-powered scooter loaded with a full tank of gasoline.