At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Singapore-based startup Strutt introduced the EV1, a powered personal mobility device that uses lidar, cameras, and onboard computing for collision avoidance. Unlike manually-steered powered wheelchairs, the EV1 assists with navigation in both indoor and outdoor environments—stopping or rerouting itself before a collision can occur.
Strutt describes its approach as “shared control,” in which the user sets direction and speed, while the device intervenes to avoid unsafe motion.
“The problem isn’t always disability,” says Strutt cofounder and CEO Tony Hong. “Sometimes people are just tired. They have limited energy, and mobility shouldn’t consume it.”
Building a mobility platform was not Hong’s original ambition. Trained in optics and sensor systems, he previously worked in aerospace and robotics. From 2016 to 2019, he led the development of lidar systems for drones at Shenzhen, China-based DJI, a leading manufacturer of consumer and professional drones. Hong then left DJI for a position as an assistant professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen—a school known for its research in robotics, human augmentation, sensors, and rehabilitation engineering.
However, he says, demographic trends around him proved hard to ignore. Populations in Asia, Europe, and North America are aging rapidly. More people are living longer, with limited stamina, slower reaction times, or balance challenges. So, Hong says he left academia to develop technology that would help people facing mobility limitations.
Not a Wheelchair—an EV
EV1 combines two lidar units, two cameras, 10 time-of-flight depth sensors, and six ultrasonic sensors. Sensor data feeds into onboard computing that performs object detection and path planning.
“We need accuracy at a few centimeters,” Hong says. “Otherwise, you’re hitting door frames.”
Using the touchscreen interface, users can select a destination within the mapped environment. The onboard system calculates a safe route and guides the vehicle at a reduced speed of about 3 miles per hour. The rider can override the route instantly with joystick input. The system even supports voice commands, allowing the user to direct the EV1 to waypoints saved in its memory.
The user can say, for example, “Go to the fridge,” and it will chart a course to the refrigerator and go there, avoiding obstacles along the way.
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