KOCHI: Negligent and helmetless driving is the major reason behind the rising number of road fatalities. 18-year-old Adon Joy decided to address the same with a unique helmet which can even detect if the rider is under influence. The Mattancherry native designed a ‘smart helmet’ which consists of sensors that are connected to the two-wheeler via a mobile application. The vehicle does not start without the helmet.
Although it has been two years since Adon started working on the technology, it became popular a few weeks ago when videos of his innovation went viral on social media. The two-wheeler is controlled by a GPS-based mobile application, ‘My Scooty app’, developed by Adon which enables to remotely control the two-wheeler without a key. The application also helps in starting or stopping the vehicle by sending an SMS.
Customised for two-wheelers, the alcohol-detecting facility is linked to the bike’s kickstart mechanism, thereby preventing a drunk person from driving the vehicle. “The buzzer inside the helmet beeps on detecting the presence of alcohol and the switches turn on only when the rider wears the helmet and tightens the straps,” he says. The application also helps in tracking and controlling the vehicle in case of a theft.
Other additional features include an accident-detection facility wherein the alert system enables to send messages seeking help via SMS to the family members in just 30 seconds. The smart helmet costs Rs 5,000.For his innovations, Adon was recently appreciated by the officials of the Motor Vehicles Department in Mattancherry, Kochi. During the lockdown, the 18-year-old innovator completed an online course on Deep Learning Specialisation focusing on Artificial Intelligence by Stanford University and is currently doing an online course on Circuits and Electronics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I’m currently working on another invention, an application enabling self-driving in cars, which will soon be completed,” he adds.