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Agence France-Presse

In the not-too-distant future you could ride one, two or three wheels … or maybe none at all.
Tech-inspired solutions for mobility – on land, air and water – featured prominently at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, held from January 7 to 10 in Las Vegas.
Some innovators played with long-established ideas, like the bicycle or scooter by adding artificial intelligence, electric power and other technology.
With bold and striking designs, the new transport gadgetry suggests a wild ride ahead:

Autonomous and shared
Autonomous and shared vehicles intended to reduce traffic and emissions were front and centre. Swiss-based group Rinspeed showed its latest “modular mobility” vehicle “Metrosnap,” which is built on a skateboard-like chassis and looks like a futuristic minibus. Different components can be swapped to accommodate passengers, deliveries and even a mobile retail outlet.
Germany’s Bosch showed a similar autonomous shuttle bus-style vehicle that can offer “customised on-demand mobility.” “If there is demand, it can transport people, and then if there is a need to move goods, it can be adapted for that as well,” said Bosch’s Andrew Yip.
Juergen Reers, a mobility analyst with Accenture, said people are looking for flexible solutions. “People want something more than (transit) where they are tied to rigid schedules and pickup stations,” he said.

Pedal power, with extras
Adaptations of the bicycle, infused with new tech for the connected generation, appeared at CES.
French start-up Wello showed its open-sided, three-wheeled car-bike that relies on pedalling, electric power and solar panels on the roof, already in use by French postal services. “It’s taking the best from the bicycle and the best from the car,” said Arnaud Chereau, co-founder of the group, which is based in Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. “It’s 100 per cent sustainable because it produces energy from the solar panels.”
Also seen at the show was an off-road electric cargo bike from Sweden-based start-up Cake, which riders can customise for various kinds of trips. “You can commute to work, pick up your groceries and then grab your surfboard and head to the beach,” Cake spokesman Garin Fons said of the two-wheeler.

Another electrically assisted tricycle concept from Italian start-up Measy adds another dimension: a cargo bay for a small delivery robot that can take goods inside buildings. “This is a concept for multi mobility,” said Measy engineer Matta De Santis, demonstrating with a robot from fellow Italian start-up Yape.
China-based Smacircle offered a simpler, lighter electric bicycle designed as two small, connected rings that fold up and fit a backpack or commuter case.
“If you take a train to work, you can use this for the first mile or last mile,” said Smacircle’s Darren Pike of the e-bike, which is only 53cm (20 inches) high and weighs just over 10kg (24 pounds).

Breaking the mould
Some models presented a more outlandish way to get from A to B. Ninebot Segway, which makes personal transporters and scooters, unveiled its S-Pod, a self-balancing armchair designed for urban streets.
“We are looking at different solutions for urban mobility,” said company spokeswoman Julie Tang. According to Segway, the new personal transport pod can travel up to 24 miles (39 kilometres) an hour and is designed with intuitive controls to avoid tipping over.
New Zealand start-up Manta5 presented its electric water bike. “Our founder had a dream that he was riding a bicycle, and he saw dolphins, and that is how this started,” said spokesman Louis Wilks.
The Manta5 hydrofoiler, with variable electric power assistance, is “a new category of water sport” that is quiet, environmentally friends and allows you “to see directly into the water,” Wilks said.

Flying above the crowd
Some CES exhibitors said the best way to cope with traffic on the ground is to rise above it.
Aeronext unveiled a scaled-down model of its “flying gondola” designed as a personal transporter. The gondola uses so-called “4D gravity” to keep the passenger compartment stable even during turbulence. “This is original technology. Conventional air mobility drones are not stable,” said Keisuke Toji, chief executive of the group, which has offices in Japan and China.
Toji said the company hopes to have a working prototype in the next year as it moves toward commercialisation. South Korea’s Hyundai meanwhile announced it would begin mass-producing flying cars for Uber, moving the idea of aerial robo-taxis closer to reality.
These new developments create huge opportunities to manage the system in a more sustainable way. Instead of looking for the next big thing, we should be thinking about making things work together
Juergen Reers, mobility analyst with Accenture
Putting it all together
The vast array of new transport options could lead to a more sustainable future, but only if coordinated, Accenture’s Reers said.
Hyundai proposed a network of hubs to connect various forms of personal and mass transit with stations for its drones.
Toyota said it would create a “woven city” in Japan, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, where it would test autonomous driving and related technologies.
At the moment, Reers said cities have resisted new modes of transport like scooters because they do not fit into the ecosystem, highlighting the need for better planning. “These new developments create huge opportunities to manage the system in a more sustainable way,” he said. “Instead of looking for the next big thing, we should be thinking about making things work together.”


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Future of transport

What the future of transport looks like – on land, sea and air – on display at CES 2020

China-based Smacircle’s simple electric bicycle was among the tech at 2020 CES in Las Vegas.

The Manta5 Hydrofoiler XE-1 hydrofoil e-Bike is displayed at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 9, 2020. - The Manta5 is a pedal-powered vehicle with e-assist that allows the rider to pedal over water in a similar way to riding a bicycle on land. The hydrofoil bike is currently for sale in New Zealand and is available for pre-sale in the U.S. for USD $7,490. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

Wello Family

The Rinspeed concept vehicle MetroSnap is unveiled January 7, 2020 at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. - The MetroSnap, an autonomous urban mobility concept, is based on a modular design with the chassis and body of the vehicle being removable and swappable. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

Aeronext Gondola

The future of mobility at 2020 CES in Las Vega: Ninebot’s Segway S Pod.

CES 2020: Flying cars and whole new concepts – 24 of the coolest vehicles on display at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR. Photos: Business Insider

Jeep Compass 4xe. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Byton M-Byte. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Hyundai Purpose Built Vehicle. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Jeep Renegade 4xe. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Ford self-driving delivery van. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Audie e-tron Sportback quattro. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Toyota LQ. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Bosch IoT Shuttle. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Audi AIME. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Ford Mustang Mach-E. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Rivian R1T. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Chrysler Airflow Vision. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Honda Augmented Driving Concept. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Toyota e-Palette. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Hyundai S-A1. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Fisker Ocean. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Nissan electric ice cream van. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Jeep Wrangler 4xe. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Sony Vision-S. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Nissan Ariya Concept. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Bell Helicopter Bell Nexus 4EX. Photo: Mark Matousek/Business Insider

Sex toys, smart vibrators, apps: sex tech at CES 2020 finally gets its time, but don’t mention pleasure – it’s all about ‘well-being’

Lora Haddock DiCarlo, founder and CEO of Lora DiCarlo, holding several of her robotic massager devices at CES 2020. Photo: AP

An Ergo-Fit representatives talks about the Ergo-fit sex toy at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7, 2020. - For the first time sex tech is making an appearance at CES in the health and wellness section of the giant electronics and gadget fair. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

This photo shows three of the Lora DiCarlo women's health robotic massager devices on display in the Health & Wellness section during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas. CES is allowing space for sex tech companies as a one-year trial. At the show, such companies were scattered throughout the health and wellness section, near startups pitching fitness trackers and infrared saunas. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Sexual wellness companies display their products January 7, 2020 at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. - For the first time sex tech is making an appearance at CES in the health and wellness section of the giant electronics and gadget fair (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

Crave displays vibrators that double as jewelry at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7, 2020. - For the first time sex tech is making an appearance at CES in the health and wellness section of the giant electronics and gadget fair. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

Suki Dunham, co-founder of OhMiBod, holds one of her sexual health pleasure devices designed for seniors located in the Health & Wellness area during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas. CES is allowing space for sex tech companies as a one-year trial. At the show, such companies were scattered throughout the health and wellness section, near startups pitching fitness trackers and infrared saunas. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Pulse CEO and Founder Amy Buckalter demonstrators the Pulse personal lubricant dispenser at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7, 2020. - For the first time sex tech is making an appearance at CES in the health and wellness section of the giant electronics and gadget fair (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

Models at the Lora DiCarlo booth pose for a photograph before skating around to promote the Lora DiCarlo massager devices during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, in Las Vegas. Sex tech is making an appearance at the CES gadget show a year after organizers took fire for revoking an innovation award to a sex device company led by DiCarlo. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure


The future of transport showcased at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
Flying taxis, electric water bikes and autonomous vehicles of every kind were on display



Transport of the future featured heavily at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with flying taxis, electric water bikes and autonomous vehicles of every kind on display.


What the future of transport looks like – on land, sea and air – on display at CES 2020

The future of transport showcased at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Flying taxis, electric water bikes and autonomous vehicles of every kind were on display

The future of transport showcased at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

Flying taxis, electric water bikes and autonomous vehicles of every kind were on display