There's various ways to get around the city. You can walk, take the bus, take a taxi, drive your car, ride a bike, etc.; the choices are all there. Well, the folks over at Smart Cities (a group of MIT researchers) decided they'd add another option for the city nomad by designing a small, two-seat, electric vehicle, which they call their City Car. The value of these vehicles lie in their resourcefulness. You rent the City Car, drive around, and when you're done, you "stack" park it, similar to shopping carts.
The cars are based around an omni-directional "robot wheel" that pretty much encases the important aspects of the car: the electric motor, suspension, and steering. Those fold and attach to other cars during the recharge process.
Another cool aspect of the car is its maneuverability. Instead of making U-turns, the car can spin. Parallel parking? No longer an issue. The car's wheels can turn 90 degrees and parallel park sideways.
Since street congestion and pollution is such a prevalent issue in urban areas, cars such as these take strides toward offering easier modes of transportation for personal urban wanderers and also to alleviate some of the pollution problems on this earth.
-Rack of Lam
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