INTERNATIONAL: Need to take a short distance trip somewhere but don't have access to a car or public transportation? Japan's "Poimo" may be your solution. "Poimo", stands for "portable, inflatable mobility", is an inflatable electric scooter developed by researchers from Tokyo University as a mobility solution.

A Japanese researcher from the University of Tokyo, Hikori Sato first thought about developing a mobility device that can bridge the last mile or 1.6 kilometres , or distance between a train station and a workplace, where there’s some distance but no public transportation.

People would imagine balloons to be soft but the one they developed is like a basketball, even if people ride on it, it's steady as a rock and sturdy. And Poimo can be built into different shapes. They hope they can make it in the shape each person wants. For example, a shape that is suitable for a person's height so that we can offer the most suitable mobility device for that person.

Safety and operability of vehicles take time to be developed. So, to merchandise this scooter as a product, researchers need to guarantee that it can be ridden safely. The scooter, which runs on an electric motor, can fit easily into a medium-sized backpack in its deflated form, according to a demonstration video from the university. Using an air pump, it takes about two minutes to inflate the device into a portable ride.

With a single battery charge, the 10-kilogram scooter, made from sturdy thermoplastic polyurethane, can run up to 90 minutes at about 15 km per hour, making it convenient for short distance trips. The research team has also developed a software which allows users to customize the shape of the vehicle, such as a sofa or wheelchair.