The Evolution of the Curb #2
Sidewalks and curbs can learn a lot from other transportation lanes that have undergone similar evolutions as a result of new technologies and applications, like roads and highways. When cars first arrived, they freaked out horses, had little to no safety features, and were as dangerous as they were cool. In not too long a time, the industry adopted rules like traffic lanes, right of way, speed limits, stop signs, seat beats, turn signals, etc… and they didn’t stop there (just look at the road safety broacher from the 1950s above)! In today’s vehicles, practically every car has ABS brakes, adaptive speed control, lane assist, collision warnings, and other advanced technology safety features which help create a safer and free flowing transportation system.
Sidewalks and curbs are now ready for their own safety evolution today, but cities lack the ability to enforce these kinds of rules with their current methods. So how do we get the safety and enforcement we so desperately need (check out the latest reports from the UK https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/news/study-reveals-danger-of-an-escooter-collision/ and https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1583424/e-scooters-death-inquiry-urges-change-helmets-speed-limit-safety) to recreate order and harmony on the sidewalks? At Hello Llama we believe strongly in leveraging high-value, economical technology directly on to the vehicles creating the issues because it gives you the widest impact net and scales with the vehicle fleet growth. Through a combination of computer vision, physical sensors, and AI software, we create “safety bubbles” around the vehicles and riders to enhance safety and enforce compliance (see Llama Vision System image below). This allows cities to extract the benefit of ubiquitous individual enforcement without having to enforce things themselves directly. The wild west of “Curb-ageddon” is mitigated, because everything is traveling and parking only where it should be, rider’s behavior is corrected in real-time, and each vehicle is looking out for each other. This is available and achievable right now, today, pretty awesome right? So if this is what we can do now, where can we take it next?
