MRC Self-Driving Scooter Research Featured on WUSA9

Self-driving scooters developed at the Maryland Robotics Center were recently featured in a WUSA9 news segment, spotlighting innovative work led by Professor Derek Paley, ISR and Aerospace Engineering.

The autonomous scooter prototypes, affectionately named Peter, Richard, and Ben Parker, are designed to drive themselves to users and park automatically, solving key challenges in shared mobility. Graduate student Abrar Syed, a member of the research team, demonstrated what he jokingly describes as the scooters’ “Spidey sense”, a stereo camera system which allows them to perceive depth and navigate their surroundings with precision.

“You go to where you want to go, get off the scooter, and it parks itself safely—without the nuisance of scooters blocking sidewalks,” Paley continued. “This is a game changer for shared scooter operators because it minimizes the logistics of picking up scooters to recharge their batteries.”

This innovation could reduce sidewalk clutter and simplify the logistics of scooter retrieval and charging for operators.

Still in development, the project exemplifies the University of Maryland’s strengths in robotics, autonomy, and innovation. According to the National Academy of Inventors, UMD ranks No. 8 nationally among universities for producing patents, earning 114 in 2024—71 of them from the College Park campus.

Watch the full story on WUSA9 to see the research team and their self-driving scooters in action.

Published April 23, 2025