Swedish micro-mobility startup Voi launches a new AI-based helmet selfie that rewards riders for wearing helmets to encourage safer e-scooter riding

Riding electric scooters can be lots of fun. However, as a parent, I worry about the safety of my children. Now, there is good news. Voi Technology is a Swedish micro-mobility startup that is aiming to encourage safer e-scooter riding with its new helmet feature.

Today, Voi announced the launch of its new helmet selfie feature, which uses AI to determine if a customer is wearing a helmet during an e-scooter ride and then rewards them for good behavior and discounted rides. The helmet selfie is part of a suite of recently released in-app features that encourage responsible riding habits and improve rider safety.

The helmet selfie uses an image-classifier AI that can instantaneously detect if a user is wearing a helmet with 95% accuracy. After scanning a scooter to begin their ride, the user will be prompted to take a selfie, which unlocks the scooter. The user’s photo is then validated during the ride; if the AI confirms that the user is wearing a helmet, the user will get five loyalty points at the end of their ride. (Loyalty points enable users to receive discounted rides.)The helmet selfie is the latest addition to a lineup of recent product launches targeting rider safety. A reaction test, in which riders tap a random sequence of helmets as they appear on the screen, aims to discourage drunk riding by getting users to think twice about scooting if their cognition is impaired. The test automatically takes effect at times of the day when people are most likely to ride under the influence. Beginner’s mode, which caps the E-scooters speed at 10 mph (15 km/h), aims to help new users adjust to riding at a slower pace.

Fredrik Hjelm, co-founder and CEO of Voi, said: “Safety remains our top priority. The new helmet selfie offering is simply one component of our wider safety strategy, encompassing technological innovations such as these in-app features, rider education at pop-up safety events, our Ride Like Voila traffic school, and collaboration with local authorities to enforce safe riding behavior that protects all road users.

Voi believes this multi-pronged approach is the most effective way to keep our riders and communities safe. As demand for e-scooters continues to grow, we keep on working with our city partners to advocate for better road infrastructure and sustainability. We are excited that people are embracing micro-mobility as a form of transport that reduces carbon emissions and traffic congestion in urban areas.”

Richard Corbett, general manager of U.K. and Ireland, said: “Since we began to roll out our e-scooters in the U.K. back in September, safety has been of the utmost importance to us, especially as our communities adjust to this new mode of transport. That’s why we are constantly working on new technologies and complementary solutions, such as our recent collaboration with micro-mobility startup Luna to provide world-first computer vision for e-scooters, to make e-scooter use safer for everyone who shares the road.