US-based smart scooter startup Scooterson, which has its R&D office in Singapore, has announced a new product, codenamed AIR (short for Artificial Intelligence and Remote operations), at the Comotion LA conference in Los Angeles.
The AIR scooter is designed as teleoperation and autonomous fleet-rebalancing solution for micro-mobility operators. This enables scooter-sharing companies to do the fleet distribution for their customers remotely.
“AIR is developed to fix a series of problems for scooter micro-mobility operators. It is specifically designed to lower operational costs by reducing the staffers required to rebalance the fleets on the streets or deal with footpath obstruction and urban clutter,” said Scooterson CTO Deepansh Jain. “It will also curb the misuse by recording the errant user’s actions and restricting him/her the access to the service in case of vandalism.”
In the first phase, the AIR scooter will use its cameras and ultrasonic sensors and retractable training wheels to allow the operator to drive it remotely via LTE from a data centre across the world. All telemetry data and video feeds will be stored in the cloud for later use.
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In the second phase, the previously-recorded telemetry data and video feeds will be used to train an AI operator. The operator will then be able to perform actions such as driving in straight lines, changing the direction, and crossing the roads and intersections.
“AIR is also designed as a superior form-factor for scooter-sharing operations. It is easy to use for those who have never ridden even a bicycle in their lives. Its ultrasonic sensors are used to stop the motor and alert the rider via a sound if an obstacle appears on its way,” Jain explained.
Conceived in California and designed in Singapore, AIR was assembled in a European aerospace facility using quality alloys, stainless steel, and composite materials, the company claims.
Currently, Scooterson is in discussions with major operators to deploy its first pilot fleet by Q2 2020.
In September, the startup unveiled a new foldable light-weight smart e-scooter Elf, with plans to launch in Singapore in October. However, the plans hit a roadblock when the government banned scooters from sidewalks from November 5.
“We had an amazing response for Elf and received pre-bookings. However, the ban shattered our plans. From a customer point of view, it won’t make sense to buy the product. So we refunded back to the customer,” Jain said.
Scooterson was founded in 2016 by Romanian national Mihnea de Vries (CEO) and Jain. In January last year, the startup secured US$1.75 million in seed funding from Arsat Industry, a manufacturer of precision metal parts for leading automobile companies in the world. The company’s first model Rolley, still in Beta, is available only in the US.
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