Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – Scientists from the University of Magdeburg have developed a system with autonomously driving cargo bikes – but practical use in the city center still needs time. The technology must be even smaller, lighter and cheaper, said project manager Stephan Schmidt on Thursday. In his view, it could be possible in six or seven years to call a cargo bike to any location using an app. After use, the bike should automatically return to a depot or head for the next user. In addition to technical hurdles, there are also legal ones. Currently, a person must always be able to intervene to stop the vehicle.
The EU and the state of Saxony-Anhalt had funded the project for the autonomous bikes for three years with a total of 4.4 million euros. The research continues, the state of Saxony-Anhalt will provide 500,000 euros by the end of next year, as project manager Schmidt said. The focus should be on how the wheels can be monitored from a control station.
