Bird develops skid detection system to encourage safe e-scooter riding

Bird has developed a skid detection system to help encourage safe and compliant e-scooter riding.

Skidding tyres can have several causes, the company said, including hazardous riding behaviour, excessive braking force and worn tyres or tyre tread. The system will help proactively alert its operations teams to any of these potential issues.

The underlying technology uses the Bird’s vehicle diagnostics and sensor processing capabilities, combined with an understanding of tyre physics, to determine if a skid has occurred. If a rider is either experiencing or performing an uncharacteristic amount of skids, the system sends an alert to its backend enabling quick responsive action.

“Skid detection is an important safety and compliance feature that has the potential to deliver significant security benefits to both riders and communities,” said Ryan Fujiu, chief product officer at Bird. “By identifying vehicles in need of tyre inspection early, as well as anyone who may be riding in an inappropriate manner, we can rapidly troubleshoot and resolve these issues before they become more serious problems.”

Excessive skidding that’s determined to be caused by poor behaviour will trigger a series of rider communications detailing the dangers of intentional excessive braking.

If necessary, Bird can revoke riding access to ensure community safety is respected. Skidding related to worn tyre treads, on the other hand, will activate a service inspection by the company’s operations team.