The world’s first gaming e-scooter, the EKRUZER #1

EKRUZER, the pioneering brand in personal electric mobility, has officially launched  the EKRUZER #1, priced at $13,000 (USD), making it the world’s first-ever state-of-the-art augmented reality (AR) gaming platform to be integrated with an e-scooter. This groundbreaking innovation redefines the gaming industry, combining cutting edge multiplayer technology, advanced mobility, and entertainment in one unique product.

Anticipation is already building, as EKRUZER has confirmed that the waiting list for the first 250 limited edition EKRUZER #1 officially opened on December 12, 2024. The first 250 build slots will go to buyers of exclusive numbered EKRUZER baseball caps – priced at $100 (USD) and available via its website www.ekruzer.com.

Game of the future competition

To celebrate the launch, EKRUZER is inviting creativity and innovation from the global gaming community. The “Game the Future” competition challenges participants on the waiting list to pitch their best game concept for the EKRUZER #1 platform. The winner will not only see their concept come to life, but also receive an EKRUZER #1 to play it on.

Cutting-edge features

The EKRUZER #1 boasts cutting-edge features, including its revolutionary hubless design, premium-grade finishes, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 5G connectivity with a seamlessly integrated AR gaming experience that allows riders to explore their environment in new and exciting ways in both single and multiplayer scenarios. Combining class-leading battery technology, AI functionality and design flair, the EKRUZER #1 offers an unmatched performance for riders looking for the ultimate technology showcase, design and AR gameplay.

“We’re thrilled to introduce a product that pushes the boundaries of what an eScooter can be,” said Squad Leader, CEO of EKRUZER. “The EKRUZER #1 isn’t just a lightweight EV, it’s a revolution in gaming and mobility, and now, a platform for creativity. This marks a bold step into a new era of mobility and interactive entertainment.

He continued, “When Sony released the original Playstation they redefined the gaming industry by bringing gaming into the living room, and EKRUZER will write the next chapter by taking gaming out of the house and into the parks”.

Priced at $13,000 (USD), the EKRUZER #1 mobile gaming platform represents a significant investment in the next generation entertainment technology. Competitive financing options will also be available via Ausloans – the largest privately-owned finance brokerage and aggregation business in Australia – offering multi-year payment plans.

Be part of the future of mobility and gaming. Secure your build slot by purchasing an EKRUZER baseball cap and showcase your creative genius in the game design competition.

Bo M – The World’s Safest And Most Stylish e-Scooter, comes to Ireland

Bo, maker and developer of the world’s safest and stylish urban micro-mobility vehicle, announces its first international expansion into Ireland, one of Europe’s most progressive transport nations with Lifty Electrics confirmed as the official Dublin based retailer and service centre.

Bo co-founder and CEO Oscar Morgan said; “Whilst the UK sadly lags behind much of the world in legalising the use of e-Scooters on the public roads, Ireland has taken that exciting first step in embracing a new era in how we travel through cities such as Dublin”.

He continued: “Since Ireland announced the legalisation of e-Scooters back in May 2024 we have been making regular visits to meet riders in Dublin and Cork. With production of the Bo M now in full flow, we are excited to announce Dublin as our first direct expansion into an international market”. 

In 2024, the Irish Government cemented Dublin’s status as a hub for progressive transport solutions, making it the ideal first international market for Bo’s expansion. The passing of The Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 created a new vehicle class for e-scooters called powered personal transporters and legalised their use on public roads from the 20th May 2024. Dublin was carefully selected for Bo’s expansion due to the city’s forward-thinking urban mobility strategies, including efforts to reduce car use, the recent legalisation of electric scooters, and its extensive bike lane infrastructure. The Irish National Transport Authority has, however, just introduced legislation restricting e-scooters from public transport, applying brakes to the wider sector, but not for the bo M which is designed for end to end journeys, with it’s exceptional riding dynamics, extended range, and lifestyle enhancing features, like Lock and Load.

Bo exists to create the single best way to travel in the city. Over the past four years, the Bo M has been painstakingly designed and engineered to reach this ambition.

Bo was founded by two engineers, formerly of Williams F1 Advanced Engineering, and a Jaguar Land Rover designer, giving the company a fundamental understanding of vehicle dynamics and manufacturing, which has been uniquely applied to the Bo M, the first product in a transformative range of Bo lightweight electric vehicles.

The Bo M showcases a ground-up focus on robust and intuitive features, designed in order to improve every urban journey. It utilises the ultra-tough fixed Monocurve Chassis and the unique patented Bo SafesteerTM technology to create a confidence-inspiring ride, combined with category-leading motor torque and power ratings, plus novel functional innovations to deliver the most sophisticated urban riding experience of its kind.

 

Monocurve Chassis and Design

Bo’s unique Monocurve chassis represents a foundational shift in vehicle design and engineering – the single greatest sector advancement since electric scooters arrived in our cities. The Monocurve chassis is a single piece of high strength Aluminium, from the handlebars to the wheels, which not only benefits the ride by providing the most solid and planted ride feeling in its class, but also seamlessly integrates all of the features into a singular beautiful form.

These intuitive, unbroken lines of the Monocurve chassis create the first unibody structure in this sector, designed to true automotive principles, seamlessly combining function with design. The design allows for the steering to be separated from the chassis, forming a robust mounting point for the Lock and Load cargo solution whilst also providing a stable platform for Bo riders.

Bo co-founder and CTO Harry Wills, said; “We want to make wobbly e-scooters a thing of the past so intentionally designed the Bo M with an unbroken Monocurve unibody chassis to provide the most robust, confidence-inspiring ride experience possible. We’ve equipped the M with technology we have  developed from the ground up that truly enhances the urban riding experience, day or night, rain or shine, hilly or flat. From the occasional rider who needs to nip into town, to the super commuter riding 30km everyday, the Bo M establishes itself as the most dependable, mature urban vehicle“.

The precision engineering approach is equally evident on the Bo M’s geometry, which is optimised for stability and ergonomics. Technical features include a wider handlebar at 580mm, a generous 930mm wheelbase for noticeably more standing room and relaxed riding handling, and a 76-degree steering angle for naturally controlled dynamics.

Bo co-founder and CCO, Luke Robus said; “We believe in the pursuit of simplicity. Form working in harmony with function to create sculptural lines that are as exciting to ride as they are to look at. From the early sketches to prototypes and through to the production vehicles, the M’s lines come together without complication. This is testament to the rigorousness of our first-class engineering team integrating all the technology we’ve packed into the M. Never cluttering, or getting in the way of the product’s purpose, instead celebrating this new found simplicity with a design language you’ll see in evidence across the range of lightweight EVs we have planned for the future”.

Bo SafesteerTM

SafesteerTM technology is a world-first in micro-mobility vehicles, a dynamic steering stabilisation system developed by Bo to set the benchmark for control and inspire rider confidence. This patented technology, fully integrated within the Bo chassis, assists and stabilises the steering through bumps, dips and potholes to keep the rider in perfect comfort and control. Novice and experienced riders often cite stability as their primary concern when riding over mixed terrain. Bo’s Safesteer™ technology gives a seamless, stable ride and builds confidence at every turn, allowing everyone to enjoy the ride and carve down the road.

SafesteerTM delivers the smoothest and most stable ride while at the same time achieving a new benchmark in mechanical simplicity and reliability. The system is based on opposing force from a pair of bespoke wound torsion springs, housed within a unique Bo mechanism that delivers predictable steering correction up to a 50 degree turn angle. This system works to recreate the natural centering dynamic of a larger wheel and smooth the ride to give Bo riders an exceptional, natural riding experience every time.

All-Weather Capable

Bo M is designed to be our riders’ go to urban vehicle no matter the weather or time of day. The electrical components throughout are a minimum of IP66 waterproof while the high quality pneumatic tyres ensure the maximum grip possible. Bo M features a powerful, low maintenance braking system, with a regenerative e-brake located in the rear wheel, controlled by the left brake lever, adding energy back into the battery under braking and a front sealed drum brake controlled by the right brake lever. The two brake levers give the rider highly intuitive control over which brake to use and when, depending on the situation and the desired feel.  

Bo’s distinctive Daytime Running Light (DRL) wraps around the Monocurve chassis to create the Light Halo, a world-first in the sector, which delivers 270-degree light visibility. This signature design dramatically increases road presence and awareness from other road users by ensuring both the Bo M and rider are visible from every angle. Complementing the Light Halo, a powerful headlight with up to 800 lumens from three temperature-controlled LED lights housed in an aluminium enclosure, illuminates the road ahead, while a wide-angle high-lumen rear light keeps riders visible from behind in all weathers, flashing brightly under braking.

Performance

Showcasing a blend of performance and elegance, the Bo powertrain features a high torque motor (38Nm), providing a peak power output of 1,200W and a top speed of up to 35 km/h (21 mph) (limited to 20 km/h for Irish compliance), with a battery capacity of 672Wh delivering a range of 50km. The Bo team is based out of Bristol, a famously hilly city in the UK, and ensuring impressive hill-climbing performance was a core requirement of the powertrain development programme. The bespoke high current electric motor has been optimised for strongest mid-range torque, maximising efficiency across the broadest rpm-range possible, and the precision throttle map allows for excellent control of output of power and responsiveness. Tested on hills up to 25 degrees, this performance specification results in silent, controllable acceleration, with the necessary power to take on the most challenging of roads.

Lock and Load

Bo’s all new Lock and Load system is incorporated within the Monocurve Chassis and features dual purpose revolving hooks that act as both secure locking points for the vehicle as well as stable cargo carrying solution. With the hooks mounted through the core structure of the chassis, cargo of up to 10kg can be securely carried, negating the need to hang anything on the handlebars or risking bag swing disrupting the steering, increasing the safety, control and comfort of each ride. The forged hooks are at the optimal height for locking to bike racks or railings, enhancing the physical security when locking up in town.

Airdeck

Introducing an intelligent, lightweight and invisible comfort system, the Airdeck, an engineered elastomer footpad, has been created from 11mm EVA anti-vibration foam based on the same material technology found in high performance running trainers. The lightweight deck panel is tuned to reduce road vibrations, removing the need for complex, heavy and largely ineffective suspension systems and increasing the riders comfort on longer rides by isolating the feet from any vibrations that result from the road surface.

Pricing and Availability

Customers can order the Bo M from https://bo.world/pages/select-your-bo starting Wednesday 16th October and in-store at Lifty Electrics, 157 Capel St, Dublin. The Bo M is available in silver for €2,349.

Additional details can be found at https://bo.world/pages/bo-m

Ireland’s Tech Sector is Leading One of the World’s Biggest Industries

The Irish tech sector may not get the attention it deserves when it’s compared to Silicon Valley or London, but it’s more than a match for even these two hubs in certain areas. One area where Ireland has led the way for a few years now is gaming and, specifically, casino gaming. Thanks to major players in the industry calling Ireland home, many of the casino world’s best innovations emanate from our shores.

The best example of this is Flutter Entertainment. Based in Dublin’s Belfield Office Park, Flutter is among the largest online gambling companies in the world with a value of more than €30 billion. The company made Dublin its international headquarters in February 2022. The decision was prompted, in part, by the fact it owns one of Ireland’s biggest gambling exports, Paddy Power, and its sister site, Betfair.

Merger Makes Flutter a Gambling Powerhouse

Paddy Power and Betfair merged in 2015 to create Paddy Power Betfair. Many acquisitions later, including a takeover of The Stars Group, facilitated the switch to Flutter Entertainment. Under this banner, these sites, most notably Betfair, have become places where customers can find the best casino promotions in the UK. From free spin welcome bonuses to daily cash drops, Betfair and its stablemates have become synonymous with value and entertainment.

However, as we’ve said, they’ve also become tech hubs under the Flutter Entertainment banner. Go to the live casino lobby, for example, and you’ll find branded tables overseen by human dealers. These live dealer tables not only offer classic casino games such as blackjack and roulette, but they also feature game show-style offerings like Spin A Win.

Yes, these games were designed by Playtech and Evolution Gaming. However, the branded games have been developed in collaboration with Flutter Entertainment. Moreover, Flutter has given these games a place to sit and, in turn, where they can be accessed by millions of customers. Sticking with gaming, you’ll notice that Flutter-owned casinos also have daily jackpots. These progressive prize pools are designed to drop prizes at random intervals. This innovation has since been copied by other online casinos.

Innovations in All Areas

Gaming isn’t the only area where Flutter has changed the game. For example, Paddy Power Sports pioneered one-touch live bets to reduce the time it takes customers to lock in wagers. This innovation basically removed the confirmation process, so the bet could be locked in with a single tap. Another innovation from Paddy Power was Track My Bet, a system that allows customers to monitor wagers made inside betting shops via their computer or mobile. It’s not just online gambling butone of the world’s biggest industries worth more than €100 billion where Flutter has pushed the envelope.

Its headquarters in Dublin was given a €15.5 million makeover ahead of becoming the company’s international nerve centre. As well as housing 1,700 employees, the 164,000 sq. ft building has an onsite convenience store run by artificial intelligence technology. Add to this, leisure spaces and a live roof that’s home to three beehives, and Flutter’s HQ is as innovative as the gambling products it produces. For Ireland, that’s good news. With companies such as Flutter Entertainment leading the way, the local tech sector is gaining worldwide acclaim, and rightly so.