[Bicycle Bob]

And, we might add, when more sensible manufacturers want a flat metal panel, they add a few creases to it just to make it more self-supporting and lighter.

I do think there's potential for exo-skeletons in the Insect manner, not the bone-like roll cage around an American dirt-track sprint car. A standard monocoque is, of course, an exoskeleton, but I'd like to see it become much more resilient and tough. Controlled crumple zones are quite effective, but also rather disposable. I'd like minor impact damage to be only cosmetic.
I was quite impressed with one of the X-prize entries from, I think, Thailand. To improve on the safety of a scooter, they had retained the engine and drive wheel, but attached it to something like a styrofoam coffin. If we switched to a tougher foam, such as Divinycell or one even less rigid, and skinned it with Aramid, it could be like a full-body helmet. With that defining the primary structure, the other hardware can be added to hard points. It would come out a lot floppier than a traditional chassis, but flexibility can be worked with. I demonstrated a fully integrated frame and suspension in just six composite moldings. The Ford Model "T" was also quite soft, but used long suspension arms as a sort of moving sub-frame to provide the necessary rigidity to control the wheels.