Singapore - Passengers who want to go around shopping malls and airports can now do so on a driverless e-scooter.
The scooter was launched on Thursday in a workshop organised by the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, hosted in the National University of Singapore.
The prototype is now available for public trial after a two-month development period from February year and Dr Marcelo Ang, co-principal investigator at Smart said the device could be a “last last-mile solution”.
“It can provide seamless travel,” Ang said. “You can book it to take you from your doorstep to a pick-up point where you can take a driverless car to a train station.”
The four-wheeler is smaller than a golf buggy, can be used indoors and outdoors and is designed to offer mobility to those such as the elderly and those with disabilities who might struggle with having to drive an e-scooter.
The scooter slows down when it detects obstructions up to 2.5 metres away.
Each 50-kilogram scooter costs 15 000 Singapore dollars (R151 000) to retrofit and can reach a top speed of 6km/h - about walking speed.
However, the the scooter slows down when it detects obstructions up to 2.5 metres away, with a 0.2-second reaction time.
Ang said several organisations have expressed interest in the e-scooter but declined to mention names.
The country had earlier launched trials of driverless taxis and buses in a bid to offer first- and last-mile coverage for passengers getting to and from main modes of public transport.
DPA