Lidar Mobility Device Assists Navigation and Avoids Collisions

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 profession