E-scooters Are Getting Computer Vision To Curb Pedestrian Collisions (washingtonpost.com) 31
An anonymous reader shares a report: Last year, electric scooters were booming in big cities across the United States and other countries as urbanites embraced a relatively novel way of getting around town. The rentable, battery-boosted rides also brought a rising number of pedestrian-involved crashes as some riders illegally zipped down sidewalks and darted around traffic before the craze was interrupted by the pandemic. Downtowns became ghost towns when businesses told workers to stay home, and e-scooter business slowed, dropping as much as 70 percent. As people reemerge from shutdowns, wary of congested trains and buses, the micromobility industry may enjoy a post-pandemic renaissance, analysts say. People are buying more of the two-wheelers in some markets. China-based Niu saw sales rise sales 6.3 percent internationally as cities such as Boston, New York and Minneapolis expanded bike lanes to encourage social distancing, setting the framework for a potential e-scooter comeback.
By the time the novel coronavirus is in the rearview mirror, riders could be encountering a new type of e-scooter, one that picks up safety tools from modern cars. Last week, micromobility companies Luna and Voi Technology came together to kick off a test fleet of e-scooters with pedestrian detection. The test scooters are deployed in Northampton, England. Luna, a Dublin-based start-up, developed the system of cameras and sensors that it says will enable the scooters to learn and respond to their environments. Voi, a Swedish e-scooter manufacturer, integrated Luna's computer vision system into 50 of its e-scooters. [...] The immediate goal for Voi and Luna is to have the devices detect people and objects in a scooter's path, even if the rider doesn't see them. The idea is to make scooter users and pedestrians feel safe as they navigate busy streets, which is the most significant issue plaguing cities with legalized shared e-scooters, according to Fredrik Hjelm, CEO of Voi.
By the time the novel coronavirus is in the rearview mirror, riders could be encountering a new type of e-scooter, one that picks up safety tools from modern cars. Last week, micromobility companies Luna and Voi Technology came together to kick off a test fleet of e-scooters with pedestrian detection. The test scooters are deployed in Northampton, England. Luna, a Dublin-based start-up, developed the system of cameras and sensors that it says will enable the scooters to learn and respond to their environments. Voi, a Swedish e-scooter manufacturer, integrated Luna's computer vision system into 50 of its e-scooters. [...] The immediate goal for Voi and Luna is to have the devices detect people and objects in a scooter's path, even if the rider doesn't see them. The idea is to make scooter users and pedestrians feel safe as they navigate busy streets, which is the most significant issue plaguing cities with legalized shared e-scooters, according to Fredrik Hjelm, CEO of Voi.
Feel safer.... (Score:2)
The idea is to make scooter users and pedestrians feel safe as they navigate busy streets, which is the most significant issue plaguing cities with legalized shared e-scooters, according to Fredrik Hjelm, CEO of Voi.
Typical of the modern age. Not 'Make scooter users and pedestrians SAFE..' , but make them FEEL SAFE.
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Typical of the modern age. Not 'Make scooter users and pedestrians SAFE..' , but make them FEEL SAFE.
These developments will actually make it safer. If accident and injury counts do go down that is an objective indicator that the environment is actually safer and that appraisal will stand up against any fair skeptical appraisal.
All the same I would have preferred to see some solution that would have addressed the problem of reckless morons using electric scooters by eliminating reckless morons using electric scooters. However I recognize that this is an unattainable fantasy. Instead we have to go the
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Typical of the modern age. Not 'Make scooter users and pedestrians SAFE..' , but make them FEEL SAFE.
It's not even that sophisticated, it's just smoke and mirrors so the scooter companies can go to lawmakers and say "See, we did this so you don't need to ban our scooters any more!".
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Plus: If it becomes a legal requirement to have these then it's another barrier to entry for their rivals. Win-win!
In related news ... (Score:3)
New regulations will also require all new e-scooters to have back-up cameras.
No thanks. (Score:2)
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e-scooters are better thank skateboards at going 30 mph on the sidewalk without a helmet while intoxicated.
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Oh I'm not confident about riding a skateboard while drunk. But I'm very overconfident about riding an e-scooter.
and that will drain the battery how fast? (Score:2)
and that will drain the battery how fast?
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Camera with a neutral net image processor would be pretty low power. The great thing about CNNs is they require very little computational power to run (just a lot to train).
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If it's a rental you just stop and grab another one, Pony Express style.
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Most scooters still work when the battery dies, just you have to provide the power
Because they haven't got human vision? (Score:2)
Was this idea literally presented by a robot?
If not, then I suggest training one of the shittiest matrix multipliers out there to do the job of that guy. Cause it will clearly do better job!
Interpreting the title (Score:4, Insightful)
Anyone else interpret that title as "It turns out a lot of people are too stupid to drive an e-scooter safely"?
Re:Interpreting the title (Score:5, Funny)
Well, safety is the other person's problem.
Motorists should watch out for e-scooters because motorists can kill e-scooter drivers.
Pedestrians should watch out for e-scooters because e-scooter drivers can kill pedestrians.
So as long as everybody gets out of my way, there won't be any problems. Why can't people see this?
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LOL, good one.
Maybe pedestrians should start carrying pool noodles: https://qz.com/1620913/the-bes... [qz.com]. An e-scooter gets too close, just whack him with the pool noodle as he goes by.
How is that surprising ? (Score:2)
I mean I'm a biker, and while going about 40kph I've been passed by escooter riders with no helmet and a phone in the other hand...
Just ban them (Score:1)
So, what could possibly go wrong with...
- a silent vehicle capable of going far faster than anything you can manage while pedaling (if you're not a Tour de France champion of course)
- genius riders who have neither a motorcycle license, nor incentive to wear a helmet
- crowded city (well, once the lockdowns ease) and a significant portion of equally oblivious pedestrians
Having seen idiots on these going against traffic, on sidewalks, all the above in action, in NYC, I say just, ban them. Period.
Problems looking for solutions looking for ... (Score:2)
Missed (Score:2)
While I do recall a few articles about visits to the ER for minor sprains and abrasions going up when e-scooters are deployed, I remember a LOT of articles (and visual evidence) of scooters laying in a pile outside of building entrances. Cities were auctioning off hundreds of scooters that had been impounded when the various scooter companies failed to clear their property off of other people's property in a timely manner. So many that you could easily find conversion kits online to disable the credit card
This is the dumbest (Score:2)
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Please, as someone that has ridden an e-scooter, the beeping isn't necessary to cause embarrassment
Why not a self-destruct mechanism? (Score:2)
hooray! (Score:2)
yay, mobile surveillance cameras!
fewer blindspots, no need to get permission to install them on buildings.