Pictures like from a science fiction movie. These scooters are designed to drive themselves.
German scientists have developed an autonomous scooter. The prototype is now ready. Benefits? The scooters will return to the charging points themselves and go to places where there is a high demand for this equipment.
The developed technology is something that will certainly be of interest to large companies that provide this type of vehicles in cities. The scooter was developed by Robin Strässer and David Meister from the University of Stuttgart. Earlier in 2021, they have already managed to develop a self-balancing version, operated remotely. Now it's time for another improvement – reports the Naukawpolsce.pl portal, citing the “arXiv” scientific preprints website.
Three sensors
As a next step, German scientists added three ultrasonic sensors (directed forward and sideways), thanks to which the scooter is able to stop itself in front of an obstacle. Their range is up to 4 meters. However, this is not the end of work on this device. Now team is working on software, which will enable scooters to move using satellite navigation to specific places. For starters, scientists want to the equipment moved around the campus of the University of Stuttgart. The video below shows tests of a remotely controlled self-balancing solution from 2021.
Based on experience with creating autonomous cars, the team claims that developing such software can be a big challenge. At the same time, the whole thing may require less sensitive and expensive solutions thanks to the lower speeds developed by this equipment. The whole thing sounds a bit like a dream of the future, but still the dream of many people who come across haphazardly abandoned scooters every day.
