Have you ever seen the movie ‘Back to the Future 2’, which was released in 1989? In this movie, the main character traveled through time from 1985 to 2015. The movie featured flying hover boards and marvelous cars that were likely to appear in the future. Today, some of the things that came out in the movie have become vital parts of our daily lives. Personal mobility devices are now used as a means of transportation and leisure. Let’s look at the types of personal mobility, their evolution and effects. -Ed




What is personal mobility?

  It refers to personal mobile transportation devices. For example, electronic wheels, non-motorized scooters, skateboards and bicycles are all included in the category of personal mobility. Because it doesn’t occupy much space, the number of personal mobility devices has been increasing as a means of transportation and leisure. The first personal mobility device was the iBot released in 2001 by an American company named Segway. It was developed as a wheelchair that allowed the disabled to balance themselves. Later, Segway upgraded the balance device of the iBot for not only the disabled but also the public, so a two-wheeled personal mobility device, which is called a Segway nowadays, was released to the public.

The types of personal mobility devices.




The reason why people love them.

- Utility
  The reason why people love personal mobility devices is because they are easy for young people, such as university students, to have access to them. It is financially burdensome for university students or social novices to buy a car for commuting. However, it is easier to gain access to a personal mobility device than cars because the price of personal mobility device starts from 300,000 won. Han Seung-hyun(’14, School of Business) said about the utility of personal mobility devices, “When I commute to university from home, I use an electric scooter because it is cheaper than the bus fare and faster than the bus. It is also safe from theft because it is small enough to carry into buildings, and I can tether it to the bicycle rack.”

- A new culture
  Personal mobility devices can be used as a hobby as well as transportation. The scale and the number of personal mobility device clubs have been increasing, and a personal mobility festival was even held in 2016. Finally, personal mobility has become a new culture beyond just the meaning of transportation.

The safety problems of personal mobility.

  Even though personal mobility has lots of advantages, it still has various problems to solve before it can be popularized. The most crucial problem is the obscurity of its mandatory laws. Personal mobility is classified as a motor device, so it cannot be used on sidewalks or bike paths. If a pedestrian gets hit by one, it will be classified as a car accident, which means that the user will receive a criminal penalty. On this account, it should be used on a proper road. However, even if the users are fully equipped with safety equipment, some parts of the users’ bodies are exposed. In fact, since there is no legal environment for personal mobility, users have been having trouble using them. In order to establish a secure system for personal mobility, Kang Ho-seop(A section chief of the personal mobility device industry) said, “Personal mobility has lots of advantages that can solve environmental problems and parking problems downtown. Therefore, the current issues related to the regulations and guidelines of personal mobility should be clarified. I hope there will be a safe personal mobility culture sooner or later.”