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Understanding the Innovation Behind Bird and Lime's Electric Scooter Rideshare
Bird and Lime are widely recognized as pioneers in the electric scooter rideshare industry. They essentially created a new market by taking the core concepts of an existing IT technology used in car ridesharing and applying them to electric scooters. This type of innovation is known as technology reconfiguration or translational innovation. Here's a closer look at what this entails:
What is Technology Reconfiguration?
Technology reconfiguration involves adapting an existing technology for a completely new use case. Bird and Lime identified an opportunity to reconfigure the IT infrastructure that was already being used in car ridesharing services. They applied this to electric scooters, effectively addressing a market need for convenient, short-distance travel options.
Benefits of Translational Innovation
Accelerated Development: By leveraging established technologies, Bird and Lime could quickly deploy their electric scooter services without starting from scratch.
Cost Efficiency: Reusing existing platforms and systems reduces the cost associated with research and development.
Market Validation: The success of car ridesharing provided a strong indication that a rideshare model could work for electric scooters, lowering the risk.
Impact on the Industry
Bird and Lime’s innovation has set the stage for a new form of urban mobility. Their approach has not only disrupted traditional forms of transportation but also encouraged other companies to explore innovative uses of existing technologies.
Conclusion
Bird and Lime's pioneering efforts in the electric scooter rideshare industry exemplify the power of technology reconfiguration. By adapting existing IT infrastructures for a new purpose, they have created an entirely new market segment, showcasing a prime example of translational innovation.
