Neuron has made a multi-million dollar investment to become one of the first rental e-scooter operators worldwide to introduce front-facing AI-powered cameras on an entire fleet in a major international city.
Designed in-house, the ‘ScootSafe Vision’ system detects footpath riding and will be installed on every e-scooter in Neuron’s 1,250-strong Melbourne fleet over the coming months.
The computer vision technology 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 an e-scooters speed, forcing riders to leave the footpath.
Jayden Bryant, Neuron General Manager of ANZ, told Zag Daily: “Melbourne is one of the world’s top micromobility cities and footpath riding has been cited as a particular concern. After a successful six-month trial with camera technology we decided to deploy the entire fleet with our ScootSafe Vision system to show our commitment to our councils and to integrate e-scooters in the city in the best possible way.
“Our six-month trial using camera technology showed it was making an impact. Once footpath riding was detected and an audio warning was issued, almost all offending riders quickly returned to the roadside, bike lane, or approved shared path. This reduced the amount of footpath riding on these specific trips by, on average, 30%.”
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 further 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.
