Beam Mobility, the Asia Pacific region’s leading micromobility company, is this week launching a major safety overhaul of its electric scooters across a number of major Australian cities, with the introduction of the company’s Pedestrian Shield technology.
The Singapore headquartered Beam Mobility, which operates hireable e-scooters in major urban centres, will roll out its Drover AI-powered Pedestrian Shield across its operations in Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, and Perth.
Pedestrian Shield is powered by Los Angeles-based Drover AI’s Path Pilot, an advanced Internet of Things (IoT) module capable of detecting city infrastructure like roads or footpaths in real-time using an onboard camera.
It will allow cities to dictate speeds based on road surfaces, as it can identify whether the e-scooter is travelling on a sidewalk, street, or bike lane, and modify its speed restrictions accordingly.
Such technology will likely prove instrumental in helping to accelerate the roll-out of e-scooters, as differing state legislations governing e-rideables across Beam’s six pilot cities in Australia will allow cities to manage riding rules accordingly.
The Singapore headquartered Beam Mobility, which operates hireable e-scooters in major urban centres, will roll out its Drover AI-powered Pedestrian Shield across its operations in Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, and Perth.
“This trial is the first of its kind in Australia, and one we hope will set a new standard of micromobility technology in the country,” said Tom Cooper, Beam’s general manager.
“As micromobility becomes more commonplace in cities, we believe its usage will only continue to increase exponentially, with more citizens engaging on the streets and leaving their cars behind.
“With different states in Australia having different legislation governing e-rideables, Beam’s Pedestrian Shield will be able to adapt to the different riding rules in each state – whether that is to enforce lower speeds on footpaths or stopping the Beam altogether.”
Pedestrian Shield allows cities to essentially override behaviour so as to enforce local rules such as reduced speeds or preventing e-scooters from travelling on pedestrian paths, operating even in GPS-challenged areas.
Beam says the majority of pavement detection technology relies on positioning like GPS and detailed mapping of every road and pavement in a city. These solutions are not scalable and are unreliable due to the proximity of roads and pavements within a single meter.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.