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Scooters of the future - This right here is the semi-autonomous KickScooter T60, seen at a launch event in Beijing in August 2019. It can return itself to charging stations without a driver, making it the future of scooters. But let's rewind a bit.

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Kick scooters - Do you remember when foldable kick scooters were all the rage in the late 1990s and early 2000s? Mostly plain in color back then, today you can find much flashier versions, as seen here. Yet they've cooled in popularity, with the electric scooter taking over.

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Kick scooters - Forgoing the metallic look you can still find in shops, these sleeker kick scooters nonetheless do the same job. If you want to get some exercise in, they're a great alternative to electric scooters.

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Kick scooters - Don't make the mistake of thinking scooters are a recent thing as far as transportation options go. They've actually been around since the 1920s (earlier even by some accounts). Pictured: wooden scooters for sale in 1944.

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Early custom scooters - Since the very early days of scooters, you could see custom versions around. Just look at how some of the pictured children's scooters have been customized for racing, this in 1936.

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Wooden scooters - By the way, wooden scooters are in no way a thing of the past, depending on where you live and your life circumstances. Here's a homemade scooter on the road in Cuba in 2007.

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Wooden scooters - And here's another in Rwanda in 2001, although this one shares its body type with big wheel electric scooters.

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Electric scooters - Speaking of big wheel electric scooters, here's one. Sometimes we forget (what with all these rideshare scooter options available) that there's this attractive, eco-friendly alternative to the motorcycle.

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Electric scooters - The scooter in the previous image doesn't look that different compared to this one, does it? That's actress Eleanore Whitney getting some help from actor Robert Cummings while riding the Motorglyde, the first motorized scooter, circa 1937.

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Electric scooters -

There are all kinds of electric scooters. For instance, the tricyclopod, which came to prominence in the mid-90s, features an upright standing position similar to that of a segway. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Electric scooters - Of course, we can't just gloss over the infamous rideshare scooters, which are probably more dreaded than they are appreciated. These can be seen in many major cities.

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Electric scooters - There are, however, other rental options. These mirror some of the previous electric scooters we've seen, though they're more rectangular in appearance.

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Kickbikes - The kickbike as we know it was invented as recently as the early '90s (but its roots date back to the early 19th century). Typically they have a larger front wheel, though the one pictured here is exceptionally large!

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Kickbikes - As the name suggests, the kickbike is a crossover between a kick scooter and a bicycle. The dimensions you see here are more typical of a kickbike. 

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Kickbikes - If you're going 'mountain kickbiking,' however, this may be the better option: a kickbike with two equally-sized, sturdy wheels. These "mountain scooters" are often used for dog scootering as well.

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Kickbikes - The wheels on these kickbikes are also the same dimensions (and look: baskets!). And, yes, those are young Amish men on kickbikes. Fun fact: while some Amish communities prohibit the use of bicycles, scooters are okay!

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Bike or scooter? - Introduced in 2013, the Pibal hybrid bicycle by French designer Philippe Starck (pictured) is first and foremost a bike, but with the capacity to push it like a scooter in heavy traffic.

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Bike or scooter? - Now what to make of this? The frame is typical of a scooter, but the wheels too large (yet smaller than a bicycle's). What's more, the thing has bike pedals!

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Work scooters - Scooters aren't just for fun or leisure travel. Many professionals around the world use them on the job. These pictured scooters, for instance, were customized for Rio de Janeiro's police force.

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Work scooters - Pictured: Michael Schumacher at the peak of his health, riding trackside on a Ferrari-customized electric scooter. To this day, race car drivers often ride scooters (including kick scooters) near the tracks.

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Work scooters - Do we really think former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder used a scooter to perform his day-to-day duties? No, but we're really impressed by how well he seems to know how to ride!

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Work scooters - Can you call a "pro scooter" a work scooter? Well for extreme sports pros like this young man, it is. These scooters are made to withstand a lot more than your typical store-bought model.

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Knee scooters/walkers - Hopefully you've never had to use one of these, because that would likely mean an injury was involved. The modern-day knee scooter was invented just over 30 years ago.

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Three-wheeled scooters - Typically you'll encounter three-wheeled scooters for kids, featuring two front wheels and one back wheel. Micro Mobility Systems and K2 Sports released the "Kickboard" in 1999, with versions for adults and children. By the way, you can also buy four-wheeled scooters!

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Three-wheeled scooters - As you can see here, three-wheeled scooters can also include one front wheel and two back wheels (and, in this case, two additional smaller back wheels as well).

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Three-wheeled scooters - These go by a lot of names: slider, winged, or speeder scooters (just to name a few). The fundamentals? One front wheel and then two boards pointing in opposite directions with a wheel each.

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Oddball scooters -

No in-depth look at scooters is complete without highlighting some oddballs! Take this one for instance—the last thing you probably noticed was that it has skateboard wheels (a feature common in older homemade scooters). (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Oddball scooters - A woman in traditional Dutch costume rides a hovercraft scooter in Berlin to promote Dutch cheese. It seems the Dutch really are quirky.

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Oddball scooters - A giant "little" girl on a huge scooter, powered by the tractor behind it. Just when you think you've seen everything...

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Oddball scooters - Someone loves this macaw so much that they built the animal its own kick scooter. We can't blame them!

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Silhouette scooter -

This aerial shot is too beautiful not to share. Notice the silhouette that appears second left: scooters for the win!

See also: Light matters: spectacular shadows in images.

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