The Corona Virus disease (COVID-19) was first discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and was the cause of deaths worldwide. At present, the COVID-19 endemic is not over, and still evolving publicly.  The new variant of COVID-19, the Omicron XBB, has a high infection rate where smaller waves of infections have been detected in Malaysia and some other countries namely Singapore, Bangladesh, India, the U.S., Australia, and Denmark. This is due to factors such as lack of social distancing and it is also based partly on the usage of public transport, which can be considered as a high-potential risk zone. For tourists visiting Malaysia, commuting via public transport is a must for them to get from one location to another although they find it unpleasant when using it. Hence, these companies must take the responsibility to ensure that the public transport is safe to use by tourists, as well as local travelers.

Therefore, based on the guidance of lecturers, a research was conducted by Celine Lim Tze Lin, focusing on the usage of public transport by tourists and local travelers during the COVID-19 endemic in which the findings are targeted to provide solutions to the difficulties faced by them. Data collection was done by both primary and secondary methods. For primary data collection, a survey was done by distributing questionnaires to 50 respondents consisting of tourists and local travelers. Also, a one-on-one interview was carried out with an expert in sustainable electric mobiles, who is the CEO and Founder of Beno Technology INC. Besides that, secondary data  was collected from journal papers, past reports, etc. Based on the results, an autonomous micro-mobility vehicle was designed and named as Gyros.

Gyros is a 2-wheeler autonomous micro-mobility vehicle that uses the gyroscopic stabilization technology. The design was made inspired by the local heritage trishaw and rickshaw. As the target location of this design was Penang, the heritage design elements of the trishaw remained in the styling of Gyros, especially the roof. Ideally suitable for two passengers, an E-hailing system (using an app with a user-friendly interface) will be incorporated to assist passengers in booking the Gyros service. Furthermore, to ensure the interior of Gyros is clean and Covid free, the vehicle will be UVC sterilized after every use.

Finally, with the existence of a new design of autonomous micro-mobility vehicle (Gyros), it will provide tourists and local travelers with an alternative public transport. Moreover, the new appearance (which incorporates traditional elements of trishaw and rickshaw) will evoke positive emotional reactions as well as a new experience for user’s while using it.

YM Prof. Madya Ts. Dr. Raja Ahmad Azmeer Raja Ahmad Effendi Profesor Madya, Fakulti Rekabentuk dan Senibina, Univerisit Putra Malaysia.

Tarikh Input: 05/12/2022 | Kemaskini: 05/12/2022 | uswahhasanah