This inflatable bike is lightweight and can fit in your backpack
A new, electric bike known as Poimo, a portmanteau of portable and inflatable mobility, is here to make traveling softer. Despite its goofy appearance, the innovative e-bike will get you where you need to go.
When deflated Poimo is compact enough to fit in a backpack. When inflated it’s strong and functional enough to substitute most bikes. Just fill it with air using an electric pump and within seconds you’re off!
A team of researchers and designers at the University of Tokyo made Poimo with a vision of “soft mobility.” They call it a new kind of personal mobility created with soft, lightweight and inflatable materials.
The soft body is for safety. Getting hit with a few pounds of metal is no fun. But impact with a squishy material is merely a minor inconvenience.
The lightweight material is also what makes it so portable. No more lugging around a heavy bike upstairs or risking locking it up outdoors. With Poimo, you can carry it in your backpack and be on your way.
Poimo was set to be featured at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, but the event was canceled due to the pandemic. The international conference on Human-Computer Interaction is a gathering of researchers and practitioners to discuss the field’s latest technologies. While there’s no word on when Poimo will hit stores, when it does, it is sure to make some waves.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this ultra-compact bike that folds into the size of a weekend bag.
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