The RoboScooter a new personal mobility system

Abstract

RoboScooter is the result of the design workshop "Concept Scooter Project with Sang Yang Motors." During the design workshop held in 2007, I proposed an electric folding scooter. There are two main features of this scooter, folding and fully electric. These two features are designed to solve two critique urban problems, congestion and pollution. Based on the MIT Smart Cities research group's Robot Wheel technology, I built two 2- wheeler prototypes. The project was divided into two different phases. Phase one was focused on figuring out a correct folding architecture, the folding mechanisms and the implementation of working scooter-size Robot Wheels. Phase one was completed on April 29th 2008 with an official press conference held in Taipei, Taiwan to announce the RoboScooter.The second phase was focused on improving the next generation of the scooter structure and folding mechanism. The RoboScooter "G2" was completed in spring 2009. Designing the RoboScooter is an interesting story because of the conflicting factors such as the total weight, the load, different forces such as torque and bending forces to the chassis of the scooter. These numbers and the results can be simulated by using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) combining scooter manufacturer's experience. In the scooter industry, majority of the analysis requires experiences from dynamic structure experts. This is also how the initial drawing was created. I will clearly describe the design process and the rationale behind it later in the thesis.