Northampton Council to Trial Computer VIsion for E-Scooters

Pioneering technology in e-scooter safety to be trialled in Northampton.

17:31 16 November 2020

Voi, a Swedish micro-mobility company, has partnered with Luna, a firm that specialises in Smart City solutions, to launch the world-first computer vision technology for e-scooters. 

 

The new technology is currently being trialled in Northampton and the scheme focuses on pedestrian detection using AI and computer vision technology integration. High-end camera sensors are also involved in helping the e-scooter understand its environment and make adjustments accordingly. For example, if the system detects that a rider is in a highly pedestrianised area, it will automatically slow down. 

 

Voi, which operates in some of the continent's biggest cities, has been appointed by Northamptonshire County Council as sole e-scooter operation in the county. It has also been selected to provide e-scooters in the West Midlands. 

 

Fredrik Hjelm, co-founder, and CEO of Voi Technology said: “We are embracing pioneering technology like this so that we can help shape cities for living, and to ensure that municipal authorities feel confident in including e-scooters as part of their smart city strategies. Having facilitated more than 30 million rides to date we understand deeply the issues involved in e-scooter safety. We believe in educating riders, but also in providing them with the kind of technology that supports them to use e-scooters responsibly. We are very proud to be the first e-scooter operator to incorporate the computer vision technology for the benefit of our riders, pedestrians, and authorities.”

 

Andrew Fleury, co-founder & CEO, Luna: “As shared e-scooters continue to be rolled out in cities across the world, they need to become smarter and safer – for the benefit of riders, pedestrians and cities. With this trial, we look forward in particular to exploring how computer vision-equipped e-scooters can improve the experience for riders, pedestrians, vulnerable road users, the Voi operations team, as well as local authorities themselves. The onus to date has been on pedestrians to detect, avoid, and navigate around scooters. Luna’s smart scooter technology flips that around and allows operators and cities to govern their fleets better and avoid these conflicts, to begin with.”