Artificial Intelligence Will Bring Scooter Riding to Bike Lanes?

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Spin and Artificial Intelligence

Doesn’t look like a typical New York sidewalk.

Spin today announced an exclusive partnership with Drover AI to incorporate their PathPilot technology into the next generation of the Spin Insight e-scooter monitoring platform to cities in the United States, across the United Kingdom and other regions around the world in 2021.

“With nearly all municipalities prohibiting scooter use on sidewalks, Spin Insight data— in combination with Spin’s in-app mapping technology that enables riders to find routes that maximize bike lane use— can be used as a key tool by cities to help enforce local regulations and promote safe riding behaviors in dense, urban environments like New York City,” said Derrick Ko, Chief Executive Officer at Spin.

The micro-mobility part of Ford Motor Company claims Spin Insight Level 2 with Drover AI’s computer vision and machine learning platform, equips Spin’s vehicles with a camera, an array of sensors, and on-board computing power. Spin claims Drover’s technology is highly adaptive and easily scaled to new environments, allowing an e-scooter to” understand its surroundings in real time and assist riders in making safe riding decisions.” Not a word was mentioned of potential privacy or legal issues or who owns the customer data produced and how it will be used. Future capabilities planned include detecting wrong-way riding, adjusting vehicle speed based on riding conditions, and collision warnings.

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Scooters using Bike Lanes

Click to Enlarge.

“Like advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that use on-board sensors to help automobile drivers park, brake, and stay in their lanes, Spin Insight Level 2 has the ability to combine the latest in sensor and artificial intelligence technologies to enable local regulation compliance enforcement and create a safer experience for riders and pedestrians. We are building the ADAS for micro-mobility. Spin Insight Level 2 is designed to create a safer riding experience, with the potential to unlock everything from slowing speeds on sidewalks to forward-collision warnings.” said Ko.

This week, Spin included Spin Insight Level 2 in a proposal for the first time as part of the e-scooter permit application for New York City. If Spin is awarded a permit in the Big Apple, the City will receive the first large-scale deployment of Spin’s sidewalk riding and improper parking solution— starting in the Spring.

Spin Insight Level 1 Capabilities – 2017

  • Dynamic control of top vehicle speed, including no-ride and slow-ride zone detection
  • Virtual parking and no-parking zone support
  • Tip over detection
  • Theft and hacking deterrence, including:
    • Unexpected behavior detection
    • Wheels auto-locking and throttle deactivation
  • Audio alarms
  • Real time feedback from onboard sensors to monitor the health of critical vehicle elements, including but not limited to the battery voltage and temperature
    • Battery
    • Motor
    • Control board systems
    • And more

Spin Insight Level 2 with Drover AI’s PathPilot – Spring 2021

  • Real-time sidewalk riding detection triggering audible warnings for the rider and pedestrians nearby
  •  Real-time bike lane riding detection
  • Real-time scooter/bike rack detection for proper parking validation
  • Riding behavior and infrastructure insights to enforce local regulations and promote safer riding

Future Levels

  • Enhanced vehicle monitoring system for improved durability with machine learning (ML) based predictions
  • Wrong-way riding detection system
  • Forward collision detection system
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