U.S electric scooter rental company, Spin, operates in various cities in the United States and provides rental scooters that can be parked after completion. However, the company recognizes the inherent danger posed by improperly parked scooters to pedestrians, especially people with disabilities.

In San Francisco, California, where Spin has the largest fleet of scooters, the San Francisco City Department of Transportation requires operators to respond to improperly parked scooters within two hours and can fine the operator $100 for each misplaced scooter. The purpose of fines and response requirements is to prevent scooters from being parked on the sidewalk. The company said it takes this very seriously and the average response time in the past three months is 54 minutes. Spin hopes to respond faster, and has begun researching how to reposition the scooter without the employees needing to respond. To achieve this goal, Spin announced an alliance with Tortoise to launch a new type of scooter called Spin S-200.

This scooter is a remotely operated electric scooter that will be deployed to cities in North America and Europe in 2021. This scooter will become part of the Spin Valet platform, making it possible to remotely operate the Spin fleet and reposition the scooter from pedestrians and other traffic in a matter of seconds. The new scooter was jointly developed with Xiaomi’s partner Segway-Ninebot, and the first pilot city will be Boise, Idaho.

Starting this spring, Spin plans to deploy 300 scooters for the project and use the knowledge learned there to provide references for future projects with global partners. Spin Valet will use the front and rear cameras and GPS built into the new S-200 scooter for precise positioning. Remote operators from Tortoise will be able to safely reposition the vehicle at a speed of 2 to 3 miles per hour, thereby relocating improperly parked scooters.

The platform will also allow the scooter to be repositioned to a location for use in times of high demand. These scooters will also be equipped with replaceable batteries. The company said that eventually, riders will be able to call an electric scooter and let it come to the pick-up location.

• Ninebot GoKart Pro Lamborghini Edition unveiled with a stunning look & ferocious power
• Ninebot Mecha Kit M1 is now up for crowdfunding in China for 1,399 yuan ($209)
• Ninebot S MAX self-balancing e-Scooter with a steering wheel launched on Indiegogo

(via)

The post Spin teams up with Segway-Ninebot to launch remote-controlled electric scooters appeared first on Gizmochina.

Recently, Estonian ride-sharing start-up Bolt unveiled its e-scooter that would be deployed across several cities in Europe. The scooter-sharing service would require some ground personnel who would pick up the scooters between rides for disinfection. Also, there is a charge if the scooter is left outside the designated parking area.

A new scooter sharing service which is now being test run in Atlanta, Georgia will eliminate the need to fine users for parking the scooter anywhere after use. The project is backed by three companies. Go X supplies the scooter and operates the service while the scooters are fitted with remote controls by Tortoise. A third company is Curiosity Labs, a “smart city” incubator located at Peachtree Corners. The firms believe this service is the future of shared mobility.

These are not actually self-driving scooters and won’t ride you anywhere you want autonomously. The remote controls are actually deployed if there is a demand for the scooter. A team of remote employees located in Mexico City will then use the controls to move the scooters around the business park to where the request was made. In addition, the remote can also be used to move the e-scooter to a designated parking area where there are employees who will disinfect the ride.

The device looks bulkier than the regular e-scooters as there are a pair of training wheels which ensures the two-wheelers are stabled while being remotely driven. Also, there are a couple of components attached to the deck and handlebars. But wit such features, it becomes easy to redistribute the scooters across the city instead of waiting until the end of the day before sending out scooter hunters to redistribute them.

The service will roll out this week with about 100 scooters made available to rent. Rentals can be made using the Go X app.

UP NEXT: Redmi Note 7 Pro has an Android 11 Port, Here’s how to install it

(source)

The post Remote-controlled e-scooters set to revolutionise scooter-sharing service appeared first on Gizmochina.