Soft yet Strong Inflatable Structures for a Foldable and Portable Mobility

Abstract

We envision "Soft Mobility," which is a new type of personal mobility made of soft, lightweight, and inflatable materials. A soft body enables safer user interactions with pedestrians and drivers; the lightweight and inflatable properties allow the users to easily carry it as a "portable device," by deflating, folding, and packing it into, for example, a backpack. As embodiment of such soft mobility, we prototyped "poimo" (POrtable and Inflatable MObility). To evaluate the poimo, we first conducted mechanical tests to verify that it can endure the weight of a human. We also measured the time needed to inflate / deflate it to demonstrate its property. Finally, we reported on the preliminary results of riding on it, and clarified the requirements to further investigate and implement soft mobility transport.