AI on the road: Bengaluru techie’s smart helmet flags traffic violations in real time

Bengaluru: The city’s chaotic traffic has inspired a 27-year-old techie to turn his regular helmet into a tool that sends real time traffic violation complaints to the police.

The experiment drew attention after Pankaj Tanwar posted images of the helmet and flagged violations on X on Saturday, writing, “I was tired of stupid people on the road, so I hacked my helmet into a traffic police device...”.

Though still in its nascency, the helmet monitors traffic violations in real time and flags them to the traffic police.

A Logitech webcam fitted on the helmet captures visuals and sends them to a mini-computer installed inside the safety gear, which runs a Python script to check for violations.

The suspected violations are then sent to larger AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini for a second check. Once confirmed, an email with the image, location, and timestamp is sent to the police.

Speaking to DH, Tanwar said he created it as a fun weekend project and did not expect it to gain attention.

“I like creating small, fun projects like this. I noticed that in my 15-minute drive to the office, I would see at least 10 to 12 such violations, putting themselves and others in danger. Later, I found out that in Bengaluru, citizens can report such violations to the police, who have a separate team to check them and issue challans. So, I made this helmet, which automates the process.”

Tanwar said the device currently detects four violations — riding without a helmet, wrong lane driving, jumping traffic signals, and riding on footpaths.

During its first 10-to-15-minute ride, it flagged seven to eight violations. He said the device costs about Rs 4,000 and requires four components, all of which were available to him.

The post received over 1,000 responses, including from founders, traffic safety experts and the Bengaluru police.

“I received a lot of responses from people looking to invest in it, including companies like Ather Energy, but I have no plans to manufacture it commercially as of now. The police also reached out to me via DMs. I will meet them sometime this week to take the idea forward.”

A Rajasthan native, Tanwar said the device needs more fine-tuning. 

He said that during the ride, the device also flagged a few false violations, though these were not forwarded to the police. “For instance, a man standing next to a parked bike was flagged as not wearing a helmet while riding. Similarly, a car parked in the opposite lane was also flagged. I am working to resolve these issues.” 

He has also built 120 such projects, including a smart bulb that changes colour based on his Zerodha portfolio and a ‘Sanskari helmet’ designed to tone down angry statements.

Surveillance tool? 

Amid appreciative comments on social media, some users raised concerns that the device could function as a surveillance tool.

Addressing this, Tanwar said roads are public spaces already covered by CCTV cameras, calling it a “trade-off”, and added that he is exploring options to blur the faces of violators in the images.