European Robotics Forum 2025: Best Paper Award for autonomous e-scooter

“The autonomous e-scooter is a groundbreaking innovation that paves the way for the future of sustainable mobility systems,” say Prof. Marco Huber from the Institute of Industrial Manufacturing and Management (IFF) and Prof. Alexander Verl from the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW) “We were impressed by this technology, but also by the scientific quality of the submitted paper and its all-round perfect presentation,” explain the two experts in industrial robotics on behalf of the jury.

Prof. Frank Allgöwer, head of the IST, and the scientists Robin Strässer, Felix Brändle, David Meister and Marc Seidel developed the smart scooter as part of the MobiLab real-world laboratory and successfully tested it on the the University of Stuttgart's Campus Vaihingen. The scooter is as efficient as it is environmentally friendly. It is summoned via an app and navigates autonomously to its drivers and the charging station. Sidewalks blocked by unused e-scooters and the time-consuming collection of unused scooters are now a thing of the past. It also emits significantly less CO2 than conventional rental e-scooters. The scientists calculat that instead of 6,000 standard e-scooters, only around 600 autonomous e-scooters would be needed to supply Campus Vaihingen.

State-of-the-art control technology ensures that the autonomous scooter always remains stable and maintains its balance even in the event of a malfunction. Like other autonomous vehicles, it is equipped with sensors that enable it to detect its surroundings and avoid obstacles. And with every journey, it learns and improves. The distribution of scooters on campus can be optimally planned based on user requests. A special distribution algorithm also ensures efficient route planning. The e-scooter is not only used on the road, but also in teaching. “It’s an outstanding tool for young scientists and students to explore and test innovative autonomous driving technologies,” say Huber and Verl.