A big problem with shared bike and shared scooter programs is that once a device has been used it can then be left on the footpath creating an eyesore or obstacle for pedestrians.
Some residents have dumped bikes in the river.
Now an American start-up company, Tortoise promises to bring semi-autonomous scooters and e-bikes to market.
They aim to either safely move a device autonomously at a low speed or get a human to remotely move the unit via a camera attached to the device (such as on a highly congested city road). They might then take them to a city-approved parking spot, a public transit hub, or even to the doorstep of users.