What drives the desire that humans have for movement? Dr. Kornhauser’s answer, the obvious one, is that it signifies a desire to improve the quality of life in some way. Removing the friction for getting around, whether that means accessibility, security, or affordability, is a common theme of this issue of the Viodi View. See below for links to interviews with some early-stage entrepreneurs that Viodi met at CES2026 who are trying to make it easier for humans to get from point A to point B.
Thanks to the Broadband Forum, my employer, for supporting this newsletter. The content, views, and opinions expressed herein are not those of the Broadband Forum.
The Unbundling of the Autonomous Ride: Bringing Privacy to Shared Mobility
New types of vehicles that encourage ridesharing were an underlying theme of this 2014 Viodi View story of what an autonomous vehicle future might look like in 2040. PLIYT’s prototype at CES2026 made that vision tangible. Their name is an acronym for their goal of creating “Personalized Luxury In Your Travel.” Their Founder and CEO, Shalin James Anto, believes they can achieve this goal while making driverless rides more affordable through ridesharing.
Redefining the Wheel: How s-Drive is Rewriting the Rules of EV Architecture
One of the building blocks that make new designs like PLIYT’s possible is electrification. Electrification allows for designs that are not possible with the large mechanical components associated with internal combustion engines. The next step of moving the propulsion into the wheel promises even more design freedom and greater efficiency. Michael Simko, founder of s-DRIVE, is looking to improve the hub motor by removing the hub.
Some Chirps and Short Thoughts
- Great description of a great role model – “Alain Kornhauser not only knows how to pivot, but also knows how to keep moving forward, like a self-driving, energizer mobility machine.”
- Waterless datacenters and energy. That’s terrific. Next, the energy can be used to extract water from the air. Are you working with Emery Telecom to provide fiber connectivity? Impressive demonstration of small modular nuclear generating electricity. This is still in the early stages, but huge progress to get this point so fast.
- Could this development out of Boise State University, intended to provide a way to detect PFAS, also provide similar detection for the hydrogen and methane described in this interview with Food Marble?
The Korner – The Flying JetBike and the Evolving Future of Personal Flight
Will the meme about “being promised flying cars and getting 140 characters instead” finally be a thing of the past? It might be thanks to the continued progress of companies like Indiana-based LEO Flight. They are in the first phase of making personal flight a reality. The real value of what they are developing may come from the ability of first responders to reach an accident much sooner than by land or fly under a tree canopy to fight a wildfire. At CES2026, we caught up with one of the founders of LEO Flight, who describes the electric JetBike that is a building block for greater mobility freedom.
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