Layer has teamed up with Chinese automotive company Nio to design an electric scooter that embraces AI and machine learning to offer flexible and convenient “last mile” travel. Nio Pal is a smart modular personal transport system with a range of accessories that provide flexibility and ease of travel during the last mile of a user’s journey. Various Pal accessories – bag, basket, shopping trolley – can be attached to affixing panel on the steering column of the intelligent, autonomous vehicle depending on a user’s needs.
Pal is powered by a modular electric battery power source and can be recharged in the trunk of any Nio automobile or at home. If the journey requires more charge than a single battery offers, it can be conveniently swapped out. The vehicle folds up and can be wheeled, making it easy to take from outside to inside, and has been designed to fit in the boot of a small car. This scooter is great for both kids and adults, most especially for the former who are looking for alternatives to the usual daily commute while having fun. “Scooters are an excellent way for your children to get invested in building new skills through physically-demanding activities, and ones that include LED displays and different settings can help your 13-year-old develop a sense of independence by letting them manage the scooter themselves,” as reported by Scooter Adviser‘s Kenneth Miller.
Pal is controlled via a wireless Bluetooth earpiece that connects to Nio’s Nomi system via a smartwatch or phone app. Nomi is an artificially-intelligent digital companion which learns its driver’s self-interests and information to meet their needs.
Through Nomi, Pal uses machine learning to become accustomed to a user’s routes over time and, eventually, become autonomous. It also responds to simple voice commands and requests, such as “What’s the best route?”, “Take me to work” or “How much battery is left?”
Pal has pressure sensitive suspension for “lean steering” – the user leans forward to increase speed, back to decrease speed, and carves left or right to turn. Individual motors in each front wheel hub enable independent “wheel speed” steering, in which the wheel speed varies to turn the vehicle.
The Nio Pal chassis and steering column are made from graphene-coated carbon fiber, an exceptionally strong and lightweight combination of materials that makes the vehicle both easy to transport and more efficient in terms of energy use.
“At Layer, we believe that the future is autonomous and sustainable, and it is important to create products that o er more convenience without inconveniencing the planet,” says Benjamin Hubert, Founder Layer. “Pal is a near-future concept for a nimble “last-mile” electric vehicle that addresses the growing congestion and population density of our cities and o ers a possible solution to these challenges. The vehicle has been designed to express lifestyle values and sensibilities, rather than with an overtly tech-driven language, creating harmony between the way people think about their home and transport in the future.”
LAYER x NIO PAL electric scooter was exhibited at the Wallpaper* Handmade Exhibition at Milan Design Week 2019. To learn more about electric scooters go ahead reading this scooter guide.