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Go X, Tortoise Launch World’s Only Fleet of Self-Driving Scooters

A new trial pioneered by shared mobility / scooter rental platform Go X, Tortoise and Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners is seeking to address two of the biggest issues with shared e-scooter services: parking and hygiene.
First fleet of self-driving scooters launched in Atlanta, Georgia 13 photos
Photo: YouTube / Go X
The Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercarThe Dragonfly Hyperscooter is meant to be the urban-mobility equivalent to the hypercar
This the world’s first (and only, as of the time of writing) fleet of self-driving scooters, which would allow riders to summon an e-scooter on an app and never have to worry about getting to a pickup up point or drop-off after use. Technically, these e-scooters aren’t entirely self-driving, using a combination of driverless tech (sensors and cameras) and teleoperation.

Go X offers the electric scooters and Tortoise the platform. Tortoise employees in Mexico City will be watching live feeds from the e-scooters’ cameras, and operating them with Xbox controllers to and from pickup points, The Verge reports. Riders would only have to press a couple of buttons on the screen of their phone to have the scooter come up to them and then take itself away to the nearest parking space available, once the ride is over.

This project would effectively solve the problem many large cities around the world are facing right now, as far as e-scooter shared services go: that of abandoned scooters littering the streets. This means that employees have to pick up the scooters across the city every night and haul them in for charging and cleaning.

Some people will still have to be around to mind the fleet of Go X scooters, though. As the video at the bottom of the page shows, once the e-scooters ride on their own to the designated parking spot (more or less), an attendant will be on scene to disinfect them thoroughly.

The project is now underway in Peachtree Corners, an Atlanta suburb. If it proves a success, it could expand to other territories in the U.S.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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