Autonomous micromobility could solve some of dockless bike and scooter share companies' largest remaining challenges, like the local availability of scooters and conformity to local and federal regulations.
"A new startup called Tortoise, co-founded by Uber veteran Dmitry Shevelenko, aims to outfit scooters and bikes with technology that will allow them to move autonomously or through remote control," reports Jason Plautz.
The company's technology is attached to existing scooters, making it possible to move scooters to bike lanes, sidewalks, or parking areas remotely. "Tortoise claims the innovation will 'solve some of the biggest challenges' associated with micromobility, including clutter and on-demand availability," according to Plautz.
News of an autonomous scooter and bike technology first made in news in January 2019, when Uber started hiring its New Mobilities team and started discussing autonomous micromobility.
Tortoise has already reached partnerships with operators and manufacturers Wind, Gotcha, CityBee, Go X, and Shared, reports Plautz.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
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