(Prior art: Google's 2016 April Fool's Day self-driving bicycle video [link]. But I
had this idea long before that, and mine isn't intended to self-drive while you
ride it.)
Self-driving cars exist. Self-balancing motorized bicycles exist. I propose to
combine the two to make a bicycle capable
of navigating itself—summoned by
a phone app—from home (or from wherever it is) to your current location, or
from your current location to home (or to wherever you intend to use it later).
This enables you to, say:
- walk to the mall and then, when you realize you've bought too much to carry
home comfortably, ride your bike home even though you left it at home
- ride your bike to work/school and then take the bus home when you're too
tired to ride (though it's an electric bike…) or get a ride home from a friend or
something
- drive to a different part of the city, ride your bike around that part of the
city, and then drive home, without having to fit your bike on/in your car
Bonus idea: Self-driving hand truck, for when you go out dumpster diving on
foot and find something too big to carry home by hand. (The first version of
this idea was a ballistically delivered hand truck, which may also be available
by special order.)