Inflatable e-scooter that fits in backpack unveiled

By:Okbest System

An inflatable e-scooter compact enough to be stored inside a commuter's backpack has been unveiled in Japan.

The Poimo, developed by the University of Tokyo, can be inflated in just over a minute, using an electric pump.

The creators said they wanted to create a vehicle that minimised the potential for injury in the event of an accident.

However, experts say e-scooter rules still need to be clarified by the government before such modes of transport can be considered safe.

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The Poimo has five solid, detachable components:

• two sets of wheels
• an electric motor
• a battery
• handlebars with a built-in wireless controller

It is made primarily out of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which is already used to make products such as airbeds.

The vehicle weighs about 5.5kg (12lb) in total.

But researchers hope to reduce this for subsequent prototypes.

"We believe that our inflatable mobility, which is different from existing mobility systems and creates new relationships with people, will be useful for the city in the future," said Ryuma Niiyama, part of the development team at the University of Tokyo.

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Californian company Bird launched a pilot service in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2018.

But e-scooters are currently banned on UK roads.

That could change next month, though, following an urgent government review of the legislation.

Maximum speed

Ollie Chadwhick, managing director at e-scooter-maker Electra-Zoom, said: "We have written to the Transport Minister, Grant Shapps, asking him to expedite this legislation, so that people can revolutionise the way they travel, in tandem with the return to work and the arrival of summer, without the risks of overcrowded public transport or reliance on cars."

Media manager Sam Jones told BBC News: “Cycling UK believes they should be legalised but cautiously, keeping them off pavements and carefully limiting the maximum speed and power of their electric motors," Mr Jones .

"Cautious legislation can be relaxed if this proves to be justified.

"However, we can’t do the opposite and restrict faster or higher-powered e-scooters once people are already using them."

COVID-19 may never go away: WHO official

WHO’s head of emergencies says novel coronavirus may just become ‘another endemic virus in our communities’

GENEVA

There is a possibility that the coronavirus will just become another epidemic in the communities of the world and “may never go away,” a top official at the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s executive director emergencies, was speaking at a videoconference from Geneva and was answering questions about projections for the longevity of the virus.

“I think it's important to put this on the table. This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities. And this virus may never go away,” Ryan said.

“HIV has not gone away, we've come to terms with the virus. And we have found the therapies and we found the prevention methods, and people don't feel as scared as they did before,” he added.

“I think it is important that we're realistic and I don't think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear,” the WHO official said.

He said that the one great hope is that if scientists do find a “highly effective vaccine” to distribute to everyone who needs it in the world, there may be a “shot at eliminating this virus”.

“But that vaccine will actually have to be available and to be highly effective, it will have to be made available to everyone,” Ryan said, noting that scientists can come up with a vaccine.

“Someone has got to make it and make enough of it so that everyone can get a dose of it.

“We've got to be able to deliver that. And people have got to want to take that vaccine. Every single one of those steps is fraught with challenges. It's a massive opportunity for the world,” he added

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