Spin, the micromobility unit of Ford Motor Company, has partnered with AI-powered IoT solutions provider Drover AI to add pavement riding and parking detection technology to its e-scooters.
The partnership will incorporate Drover AI’s PathPilot technology into the next generation of Spin’s e-scooter monitoring platform.
Spin ‘Insight Level 2’ will be powered by Drover AI’s computer vision and machine learning platform, providing Spin e-scooters with a camera, sensor array and on-board computing power.
According to Spin, the e-scooter will be able to understand its surroundings in real time and assist riders in making safe riding decisions by leveraging AI tools in Drover’s technology. What’s more, the platform has been designed to be highly adaptive and can be scaled to new environments.
The technology will also enable Spin to share insights with cities about the prevalence and location of pavement riding. Such data can be used to identify potential congestion issues and road damage as well as highlighting areas that may benefit from infrastructure improvements.
Derrick Ko, chief executive officer at Spin, said: “With nearly all municipalities prohibiting scooter use on pavements, Spin Insight data, in combination with Spin’s in-app mapping technology, which enables riders to find routes that maximise bike lane use, can be used as a key tool by cities to help enforce local regulations and promote safe riding behaviours in dense, urban environments.”
Ko added that Spin Insight Level 2 will be similar to advanced driver assistance systems. The platform will combine sensor and artificial intelligence technologies to enable local regulation compliance enforcement and help create a safer experience for riders and pedestrians.
Future capabilities could include detecting wrong-way riding, adjusting vehicle speed based on riding conditions, and collision warnings.
Spin said it is planning a large-scale deployment of the technology in New York City before rolling it out in cities across the UK and USA.
