A fleet of 100 remote-controlled scooters is being tested at the test site technologyς Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. It is the first test of this type on public roads.
Citizens will be able to use the scooter through an application and the vehicle will automatically return to its base when the route is completed. Go X created the scooter and ride-hailing application, while Tortoise developed the remote repositioning system.
During the duration during the first six months of testing, the scooters will use geo-fencing to ensure they stay within Curiosity Lab's designated 500-acre technology park. 7.500 people work and more than 1.000 live in the park.
The 100 scooters will be operated remotely by humans, but current tests could pave the way for full autonomy.
Betsy Plattenburg, CEO of Curiosity Lab, told Cities Today:
"What we learned at Curiosity Lab is that there are many micro-mobility solutions that can be autonomous, but what they need now is experience and data on artificial intelligence. One way to overcome this problem in the short term is to use telecommuting temporarily. ”
The trials were originally scheduled for January, but were delayed due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Go X has now implemented safety measures for COVID-19. Each vehicle is disinfected when it returns on its own, and a sticker proves that it is safe and sanitized for the next person who wants to use it. Every employee of Go X Apollo is also required to undergo a daily health check for COVID-19.
Curiosity Lab is funded by the City of Peachtree Corners, with free 5G access, infrastructure and copyright protection to provide a true testing environment for every smart technology in the city.
Plattenburg reported:
"What I can tell you from other companies that have tried Curiosity Lab is that a lot of what they learn is not what they started learning. You learn from experience. ”
This article was originally published by Sarah Wray in Cities Today, a news platform for urban mobility and innovation.
