Ford's Micro Mobility Unit Spin Launches Stage Two of AI-Driven Spin Insight

Hold on a minute. Who? What? When? Where? Why? If this is your first time hearing of any of those names, buckle up, or rather, put on a helmet as what we’re about to present to you is perfect for... micro mobility?

If you’ve never heard of Spin, don’t be ashamed; neither had I. Just to bring you quickly up to date, Spin is the micro mobility unit of Ford Motor Company. From bikes to e-scooters, this company is here to meet the expanding needs of this sector of transportation. After all, it’s huge. And for anyone who’s got the money to invest in micro and urban mobility now’s the time.

Now, the other key player, Drover AI is basically specialized in AI-powered IoT (Internet of Things) solutions. If you don’t know what IoT is meant to do, it’s basically a system of internet-connected objects that’s able to transfer and collect data without any human intervention. In simpler terms, your scooter is chit-chatting with all other connected devices at once.

Now put two and two together. What do you get? No, not a bunch of self-driving scooters, although that's basically where we’re headed, but rather one of the most intricate ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance System) to ever hit the streets of micro mobility land.

So, one of the things Spin is doing is working on developing an entire network of "aware" devices. Because safety and hazards are a huge issue for both operators of vehicles and pedestrians alike, Spin scooters currently incorporate over 30 different sensors to do everything from controlling the top speed of your vehicle depending on the area you're traveling through to tip over detection and anti-theft systems. Real-time feedback also monitors vehicle elements such as the battery, motor, control board systems, and a bunch more. It all sounds pretty sci-fi, but that’s only the beginning.

Level two of the Spin Insight system takes all that and makes it even more complicated. Once this level is unlocked, we can expect e-scooters and other Spin devices to incorporate real-time sidewalk detection sensors and software that even trigger audible warnings for the rider and pedestrians. Also provided are real-time bike lane riding detection, scooter, and bike rack detection for proper parking, and finally, everything you do is recorded. That one is for all you paranoid folks (myself included). No, but really, riding behavior and infrastructure insights will also be managed at this level when it happens.

Psst, it’s already happened. This is why Drover AI is included in this article. Their new PathPilot IoT module is able to be mounted on any device (not just scooters) and is able to identify sidewalks, streets, and bike lanes. Most importantly, it does so accurately. So accurately, in fact, that it’s able to offer efficient geofencing even in GPS-challenged areas.

From here, two things are going to happen. On the one hand, some folks are going to be very glad that we now have an extra pair of eyes to keep us and those around safe. At the same time, other folks are going to be anti-everything because it’s all part of Big-Brother's plan. Could be, who knows. It could all just be Big Brother’s plan to rule everything. But if that’s the case, it’s already happening, and you should just enjoy your day.