Okay, by now you must be well aware that Japanese inventors have come up with some pretty crazy stuff over the years. And while some creations seem totally pointless, a recent announcement from a group of Japanese researchers has got us pretty excited.
Researchers in Japan have revealed their newest creation: Poimo, aka, Portable and Inflatable Mobility. To put it simply, Japan has invented an inflatable bike which is small and light enough to fit in a back-pack.
Japanese inventors have created the Poimo, a potable E-bike that can be stored in your backpack and easily inflated with a small pump, so you can get from A to B.
The University of Tokyo has been developing the E-Bike. The main goal for the researchers was to create a new and innovative system for mobility, which is not only practical but also safe and comfortable. Style, on the other hand, is something we aren’t quite sure they’ve achieved just yet.
Poimo is made using thermoplastic polyurethane and is said to be a careful combination of robotics and mobility technologies. As such, it is soft, comfortable, yet easy to use and functional. It takes just over one minute to fully inflate before a number of parts are attached, including its battery and wheels as well as a high-tech wireless controller which has been integrated into the handlebars.
Okay, so it might be small enough to fit into your backpack, but is it light enough? Currently, the Poimo weighs in at just over five kilos, however, researchers are confident that they will be able to make the E-bike even more lightweight with further development. Ryuma Niiyama, one of the talented researchers behind the innovation stated:
“We believe that our inflatable mobility, which is different from existing mobility systems and creates new relationships with people, will be useful as a one-mile mobility for the city in the future.”
Those who have taken the bike for a test-run have said it’s fun to ride and we’ve gotta agree it looks like a blast. Move over scooters; there’s a bad boy in town.
