【Anchorwoman A XXX Parody】

Bike- and Anchorwoman A XXX Parodyscooter-sharing isn't as compelling as it used to be, so companies are stepping up cleaning procedures. One scooter rental company is launching an extensive sanitization program in an Atlanta suburb with remote-controlled autonomous scooters.

Go X e-scooters teamed up with Tortoise to put its autonomous-capable software and cameras on its fleet in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. Starting Wednesday, a six-month pilot will send the scooters on their own to a cleaning hub after a rider rents a scooter. A cleaning crew will disinfect the scooter and then send it off where it'll be ready for another ride request, with a sticker to indicate it's been properly cleaned. Users rent scooters like usual through an app.

Go X and Tortoise are starting with six cleaning hubs throughout the city and will add more over time. Initially there'll be 100 scooters that can drive themselves to and from hubs (at low speeds).

Dmitry Shevelenko, a co-founder of Tortoise, said in a phone call that the retrofitted scooters are similar to self-driving cars in that a vehicle that already exists (in Peachtree Corners Go X's Apollo scooters are Xiaomi Mi M365 electric scooters) gets additional abilities by adding sensors, cameras, and other tech. Tortoise relies mostly on cameras like those in most Android smartphones to control the two-wheelers.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

For now Tortoise is sticking to remote-controlled operations, which look autonomous if you're a passerby on the street.

"A directly accountable human is always in control," Shevelenko said. The company focuses on low-speed repositioning of low-weight vehicles, like e-scooters, hence the name "tortoise." Its vehicles never go any faster than 5 mph, so latency issues with controlling the device from afar on a 4G network don't come up.

Shevelenko expects to add more autonomous features and operate scooters as a hybrid with both remote-control and self-driving options. For now, the e-scooters are all tele-operated, meaning someone is remote controlling the device (now from their homes since the coronavirus outbreak shut down any control centers) and moving it through a parking lot or across a busy intersection. Uber's scooter company Jump (which is now part of Lime as part of restructuring) was previously looking into advanced features like pavement detection, but that project is now canceled.

SEE ALSO: Finally, scooters that shame you for riding on the sidewalk

"We never anticipated it would be so relevant," Shevelenko explained about touchless, remote-controlled repositioning tech during a pandemic.

Get back on. Credit: scoot

Shevelenko called e-scooters an essential resource for many workers who need to get around even during a pandemic. In that vein, San Francisco e-scooter rental company Scoot is returning to city streets on Wednesday after pausing service while riders stayed at home. Scoot will also ramp up its cleaning efforts with new requirements from crews on the street after rides, but don't expect any self-driving scooters.

Topics Health COVID-19

• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Entertainment
• Tech
• Shopping
• Deals
• Games
• Science

• The Babelio sound machine is for babies. I love it anyway.
• Does Kanye West know how to retweet?
• 'Fortnite' caps off Chapter 2 in a bonkers in
• Mars satellite captures wild image of an ancient Martian crater
• Best water flosser deal: Save $10 on Waterpik Cordless Pulse
• Meta is tackling revenge porn with their support of StopNCII.org
• Get a glimpse of crabs migrating in these new Google Street View images
• Woman was fined $500 for bringing a single apple into the airport
• How to unblock Xnxx for free
• 'Avengers'

• Google will probably announce the Pixel 3 on Oct. 9
• Someone apparently visited their Pokémon
• Hurricane Florence is our first major hurricane of the 2018 season
• Cat who streaked through rugby game gets a Photoshop battle
• Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's hearing on conservative shadowbanning was a mess
• 'Crazy Rich Asians' stars try (and fail) to identify classic romcoms from iconic quotes
• The Colorado River is evaporating, and climate change is a big culprit
• New Roomba i7+ remembers a map of your home
• BBC is really getting into 'slow radio' with a dedicated program
• Los Angeles officers cleared in shooting death of Redel Jones

• Did Elon Musk push former FAA leader out? Trump admin responds after deadly plane crash
• Review: Belkin 3
• Brian Baumgartner breaks down filming Kevin's famous chili cold open on 'The Office'
• Mars satellite captures wild image of an ancient Martian crater
• NYT Connections hints and answers for January 20: Tips to solve 'Connections' #589.
• Please enjoy this collection of Photoshopped birds without wings
• Parents track kids with Life360 for free. Life360 then sells their data.
• Steve Irwin receives posthumous star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame
• Best Soundcore by Anker Space A40 earbuds deal: Save $35 at Amazon
• Review: Belkin 3

• Best LG B4 OLED TV deal: Save $200 at Best Buy
• Square Inc. announces official name change to Block
• The third bundle of royal cuteness has finally arrived
• How to start a zero waste lifestyle
• Even Trump's Earth Day message was anti
• Feds let debt collectors slide into your DMs
• Does Kanye West know how to retweet?
• Why you feel guilty unfriending people you don’t even like
• PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mini
• 'Fortnite' caps off Chapter 2 in a bonkers in