TVS bikes, scooters to have cameras to detect rider helmet

When discussing road safety, two-wheelers are always at the forefront of the conversation, especially in a country like India where awareness about riding gear has much room for improvement. Speaking at our sister publication Autocar Professional’s Road Safety Conclave, TVS’ president of New Product Development, Vinay Harne, revealed what two-wheeler manufacturers are doing to advance road safety for two-wheeler users in India.

Camera-based helmet reminder already under development

The most interesting revelation from the conclave was that TVS is working on camera-based systems to detect whether the rider is wearing a helmet or not. In the event that a rider is found to be without a helmet, a message will flash up on the digital display to remind the rider to wear a helmet. Harne went on to state that the system is already under development on a number of different models, and will roll out soon.

No other manufacturer is known to be working on any such technology, with the closest resemblance being a recent April Fools’ Day prank by BMW where it claimed it was working on ‘Face ID’ to unlock its motorcycles. If TVS is able to bring this camera-based helmet reminder system to market soon, it will very likely be the first of its kind in the world. Expect it to debut on a flagship product like the Apache RR310 or perhaps even something like the TVS iQube electric scooter, both of which feature TFT displays.

AI-powered traffic cameras

Artificial intelligence has made it possible for cameras to detect whether a rider is wearing a helmet or not, and such AI-powered traffic cameras recently became operational in Kerala. Helmets are compulsory for both rider and pillion in the state, and the cameras are able to issue challans to anyone found to be without a helmet. TVS’ system is likely to operate on a similar premise, and will be able to use a camera placed in the dashboard to automatically detect the presence or absence of a helmet.

Harne also mentioned that TVS is keen to be at the forefront of other rider safety systems as well, including advanced rider assistance systems, and early warning and automatic braking systems on two-wheelers. “These will come in the pipeline one by one, and we will be ahead in implementing most of these in the market,” he added. 

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