RunOn is an electric kick scooter that helps passengers move short distances (up to 5 km) in an urban city center.

The main design goals were portability, aesthetics and usability. RunOn has maximum speed 25 km/h and battery strength 10 km route consisting of one deck, two front wheels and one rear wheel, a lean-to-steer mechanism, a steering and an electric system (rechargeable battery, motor, controller). The main target group consists of men and women aged 25-45 years old with a stable income who tend to lean towards high quality or luxury objects. Due to the target audience's preferences, RunOn uses simple forms and geometry.

Design Team

Giorgos Anagnostakis & Thodoris Sachinidis

(Undergraduate students, University of the Aegean, Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering)

3 editions Black carbon, white carbon, wood

Back isometric view Reflector, hub motor

Bottom view Lean-to-steer mechanism, battery compartment

Detailed front view

Folding mechanism Minimizing the height of the handlebar and bringing it down to snap close to the rear wheel.

Front isometric view

Detailed back view

Parts

Portable form

Side isometric view

Steering Grip, hand brake, thumb throttle, control panel

Viwes

RunOn is an electric kick scooter that meets a user’s (payload 100 kg) short distance (up to 5 km) traveling needs. The main design goals were portability, aesthetics and usability. The product has a maximum power of 750 W, a maximum speed of 25 km/h and a battery life of 10-15 km.

The single deck houses the lean-to-steer steering mechanism as well as the rechargeable battery, the small motor and its controller. Two wheels at the front and one at the back guarantee stability and ease of use, while a small light reflector at the back offers additional safety.

The main target group consists of men and women aged 25 to 45 with a stable, medium to high income, interested in new trends and high-tech products combining flexibility and functionality with high aesthetics.

The product can be used on the way to work, reducing commuting time; it can easily be carried inside a commuter bus or train. Users can enjoy it while visiting friends, going shopping or just strolling around.

Based on the target group’s usual preferences, RunOn is characterized by simple forms and geometry and comes in two versions, one with carbon fiber as the main material and one with wooden deck.

Design research

The preliminary investigation focused on the basic design specifications and design priorities. The research tools used were:

• Target Group Analysis
• Questionnaire
• Personas
• User Scenarios
• Market Analysis
• Benchmarking

During a “Detailed product design” class, we worked on a detailed 3d model and even construct a prototype. The hands-on process was overall very beneficial with many lessons learned. The result was an almost functional prototype made of metal parts and wood (beech, oak).

RunOn Concept

This concept is distinguished by its unique, safer and more comfortable way of driving due to the presence of two wheels on the front of the vehicle. A dominant feature of the concept is the way the vehicle turns, which allowed us to design an innovative steering system.

The way the vehicle is driven is simple, with the user operating the throttle and the brake on the steering wheel and turning by tilting the body in the corresponding direction.

The handlebar includes an anti-slip grip at the top, a thumb throttle at the right, a hand brake at the left and a screen showing the main system information, battery status and speed.

Perhaps the most important element of the scooter is the lean-to-steer mechanism. It consists of conical gears that convert the movement of the deck (made on the x axis) into wheel turning (on the y axis). This is done with the help of the bearings that support the movement and the conical bearings, achieving smooth operation without interruptions. The shaft (steering) which is connected to the top gear, moves and turns the wheels right and left, being attached with the deck via a netting.

RunOn is ready to be carried with two simple moves: Minimising the height of the handlebar and bringing it down to snap close to the rear wheel. The anti-slip grip of the handlebar “hugs” the rear wheel and the whole object is carried away by dragging it, like a cabin luggage.

Underneath the deck's surface can be found the lean-to-steer mechanism, the space for the batteries and the system controller, and the rear wheel, where the motor is located, with its disc brake.

At the deck’s back end, a wing prevents the foot from touching the wheel and a light reflector improves the visibility of the scooter at nighttime.

RunOn's basic material is carbon fiber, which provides high rigidity, high strength and low coefficient of thermal expansion. These characteristics, combined with low weight and chemical resistance, make carbon fiber a very popular material in vehicle construction as in our case.

The study of the target audience’s aesthetic approach drove us to design three versions for the RunOn: The fully black version with black carbon as basic material, the white version with painted white carbon and a third version with the deck being made of wood (oak, beech).

Product video.

Lean to steer video.