Superpedestrian stops e-scooters from tearing up the pavements

This tracking is a breakthrough in preventing sidewalk riding and other unsafe scooter behaviour

Link electric scooter
(Image credit: Link)
Spencer Hart
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Superpedestrian is an MIT spin-off engineering firm behind the electric scooter rental company Link. The brand is known as the 'Volvo of e-scooters' and has recently unveiled a breakthrough active safety system called 'Pedestrian Defense.'

The new system doesn’t just detect unsafe behaviours, such as riding on the pavement, but also puts a stop to them in real-time in order to prevent serious injuries. 

This innovation is made possible through the recent acquisition of Navmatic and the application of their patented 'Super Fusion' technology, which combines multiple sources of real-time vehicle dynamics data to produce accurate, practical and reliable fleet positioning and vehicle control. 

Superpedestrian’s new Pedestrian Defense system will address many of the complaints levelled at electric scooter riders and e-scooter trials.

For example, Pedestrian Defense aims to stop unsafe behaviours such as pavement riding, wrong-way riding, aggressive swerving and repeated hard braking, then immediately correct the behaviours by slowing or safely stopping the electric scooter. 

This is the only system that can reliably detect and correct unsafe rider behaviour in real-time, at scale, across an entire fleet. 

The new technology integration also allows Superpedestrian to translate sensor data into other interventions, from direct notifications and incentives for riders, to comprehensive data for policymakers that shows safety trends.

Superpedestrian is launching pilot demonstrations of Pedestrian Defense across the country this month and plans to launch across the entire Link fleet in Fall 2021.

Here are the list of benefits that Pedestrian Defense promises to bring:

  • Detect a range of dangerous behaviour such as riding on the sidewalk, riding the wrong way down a one-way street, aggressive swerving, and repeated hard braking
  • Correct bad behaviour by immediately slowing or safely stopping a ride autonomously
  • Alert riders violating rules with lights and audible notifications on the vehicle
  • Educate riders with customised SMS alerts, in-app training, and incentives
  • Inform cities with data and insights about safety conditions, including customized dashboards that identify locations with repeated errant behaviour
  • Generate collision reports that provide authorities with detailed information in the case of a crash

At the end of each ride, all riders will receive a Safety Rating that chronicles both unsafe and safe behaviours. This individual Safety Rating is used to deliver customized in-app and SMS safety training.  

As ride behaviour improves, riders receive discounts on their future rides, while chronically unsafe riders are not allowed to ride again. 

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Spencer Hart
Spencer Hart
Style and Travel Editor

As the Style and Travel Editor at T3, Spencer covers everything from clothes to cars and watches to hotels. Everything that's cool, stylish, and interesting, basically. He's been a part of T3 for over seven years, and in that time covered every industry event known to man, from CES and MWC to the Geneva Motorshow and Baselworld. When he's driving up and down the country in search of the greatest driving roads, he can be found messing around on an electric scooter, playing with luxury watches, or testing the latest fragrances.

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