May 10, 2023
Bolt’s Advanced Mobility Intelligence System (AMIS) is an IoT-based solution that makes our scooters and e-bikes accessible, reliable and safe.
How exactly? Let’s find out.
IoT stands for the ‘Internet of Things’.
It’s a system of interconnected devices that can communicate with each other and send data over the internet without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interactions.
The Internet of Things has revolutionised how we live, work and play — from remote-controlling lights to tracking health levels through a simple glance at a connected smartwatch.
It also made the shared scooter service possible in the first place. How else would it have been possible to start or end a scooter ride just by tapping a button in an app if it hadn’t been for technology? The answer is: in no way.
And beyond the more apparent opportunities presented by IoT lies a world of applications otherwise hidden from the public eye.
Our Advanced Mobility Intelligence System is a solution for making our shared micromobility vehicles even more reliable by:
At Bolt, we recognise that proper riding and parking practices are crucial to fostering a positive scooter and e-bike-sharing experience for all.
Riding properly is mostly about following local traffic rules and respecting other road users.
First-timers can learn the basics pre-ride either online or directly in the Bolt app. Finding the brakes and the accelerator is crucial for avoiding any unpleasant surprises on the road! We also encourage new users to enable Beginner Mode, limiting their scooter speed for the first 5 trips.
All of our riding rules are common sense. But, unfortunately, common sense does not always equal common action.
That’s why AMIS detects and discourages unsafe riding practices such as tandem riding, skidding, and abrupt braking and alerts riders while guiding them on improving their riding behaviour.
Moreover, Bolt’s Advanced Mobility Intelligence System makes our shared micromobility vehicles much safer than the private ones — as we regulate their speed (restricting them to a maximum of 25 km/h), limit riding locations, and control users’ riding practices.
We strive to give the right of way back to the public, and we’re not alone.
We teamed up with Drover and now use their PathPilot device to detect pavement riding in cities where it’s not allowed.
When pavement riding is detected, AMIS alerts users to get off the pavement and warns pedestrians who might not otherwise hear the scooter coming.
AMIS also detects the position of scooters and gradually reduces their speed or stops them completely in slow-speed and no-go zones.
Another safety hazard for pedestrians is badly parked scooters. Why? Let’s pause for a second and give it some thought.
Although scooters and e-bikes take up just a fraction of space compared to cars, wherever they’re left carelessly, they block accesses and represent an obstacle for pedestrians, people in wheelchairs and with prams.
To ensure this doesn’t happen, AMIS doesn’t let riders park their scooters in areas where parking is prohibited. So-called ‘no-parking zones’ are mapped in collaboration with each city and adjusted when and where needed in real-time.
It also detects a tilted scooter or e-bike and activates a sound on it, asking a passer-by to pick it up, making sure to thank every saviour with a pleasant beep or even a proper “Thank you!”*
*In applicable markets.
Instead of relying on users to report broken vehicles and risking serious accidents, AMIS uses about 80 sensors and 6 microprocessors to constantly assess the vehicle’s health and the probability of scooter component malfunction, e.g. brake failure.
Our predictive maintenance model flags scooters for repair, increasing the availability of high-quality rides and keeping our customers safe.
Bolt’s mission is to help make cities for people, not cars. And we urge municipalities to rethink the use of their public space.
Are our streets only for moving from A to B, or could we (re)design them to spend time in?
We believe many cities can take advantage of the data we collect, with the help of AMIS, to achieve many things, including:
If you’d like to learn more about our solutions for making safer, people-centred cities, head to our blog.
