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E-scooter operator Neuron Mobility has announced a multi-million dollar investment into front-facing AI-powered cameras, which will be installed on every e-scooter in its 1,250-strong Melbourne fleet over the coming months.
The move makes Neuron the first rental e-scooter operator worldwide to introduce the technology on such a large scale in a major international city.
Neuron’s “ScootSafe Vision” system, which was created in-house, has been tested in Melbourne for the past six months, covering more than 30,000 kilometres to train the technology to recognise the city’s streets and footpaths.
The e-scooters are equipped with front-facing cameras that use advanced computer vision technology housed in the e-scooter’s IoT box to detect footpath riding, which is prohibited in Melbourne.
The system can detect whether an e-scooter is on the footpath in less than a second.
Offending riders receive a real-time audio alert “footpath riding detected, please ride on the road,” as well as follow-up warnings, educational material, and suspensions for repeat offenders after their trip.
The system can also be configured to reduce the e-scooter speed, forcing riders to leave the footpath.
To further increase safety, the system also warns riders of pedestrians in their path and uses the e-scooter’s voice guidance to instruct them to “watch out for pedestrians and slow down”.
Neuron’s AI-camera e-scooters will also trial collecting data on uneven riding surfaces, such as potholes.
This could help map potentially hazardous areas and set speed limits throughout the riding area, as well as provide councils with useful information for planning road improvements in the city.
Jayden Bryant, GM of Australia and New Zealand for Neuron Mobility, said: “The results of a six-month trial show that our ScootSafe Vision system has the potential to significantly reduce footpath riding, and we have given our commitment to our councils to make the investment early, even before the trial phase ends.
“The ability to provide real-time warnings and alerts at the exact moment a rider decides to enter the footpath can be a significant deterrent. Plus, it enables us to warn, reeducate, and even ban repeat offenders following the trip.
“We are already using the data from our six-month trial to increase our enforcement activity at key times and locations, and it has allowed us to be even more targeted with our rider education material so we can improve behaviour across the city.”
Neuron has a history of innovation, particularly when it comes to safety.
The e-scooter company was the first to implement geofencing control in 2019 to manage where e-scooters can be ridden and parked in cities, and it also launched the first app-controlled helmet lock in early 2020 to ensure that every e-scooter had a helmet.
Both of these features are now industry standards, as is third-party insurance, which Neuron introduced in Australia in mid-2021 to protect riders and the wider community.
