After a Bengaluru techie claimed to have “hacked” his helmet into an AI-powered traffic enforcement device to flag violations such as signal jumping and riding without helmets, the city police have now reached out to him. The innovation, born out of frustration with reckless driving, has since gone viral. Many have praised the idea, and some have even asked whether it could be adapted to report potholes as well.

But before we tell you what Bengaluru City Police has said, let us take a look at the viral innovation.

‘Bengaluru people – ride safe or regret’

“I was tired of stupid people on the road, so I hacked my helmet into a traffic police device,” Pankaj Tanwar said in his post on X (formerly Twitter). 

He explained that the AI system runs in near real time while he rides, automatically flagging traffic violations. “While I ride, the AI agent runs in near real time, flags violations, and proof with location & no plate goes straight to the police,” he said, before warning commuters in Bengaluru to either “ride safe… or regret it”.

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To back his claim, Pankaj shared a screenshot of an email he said he sent to the traffic police. The message stated that he wished to report a traffic violation observed in Bengaluru and included photographic evidence, along with the date, time, and location of the incident. “Please review and take necessary action as per the rules,” the email read.

In another instance, his AI-powered device flagged a vehicle participating in a wedding procession for what it identified as “stunt driving.”

Bengaluru City Police reaches out

Impressed by his innovation, like many others on social media, Bengaluru City Police said that they really appreciate the concept and would like to know more about it. “OMG. Office of the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru reached out,” Pankaj wrote while quoting his previous social media post. 

He also attached a screenshot of the message he received from the police department on social media. A part of it read, “We have come across your recent post regarding the helmet-based traffic violation detection concept and found the idea innovative and interesting from a road safety perspective.”

‘Can you report potholes as well?’ ask social media users

Social media users were largely impressed with his innovative device, with one suggesting, “That’s a fantastic idea! Maybe the dashcams can be hooked to a cloud service, and if a state gives a 10 per cent challan incentive given to the person whose dashcam reported the incident, good reason for people to sign up.”

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“Brilliant! Want one, even though I drive,” said yet another. 

A third posted, “So cool! We need more engineers like you. Instant follow.”

Some users even asked whether Pankaj was open to investment, while others expressed interest in adapting similar technology to report potholes and poor road conditions.

Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intended for information purposes only. The details, opinions, and statements quoted herein belong solely to the original poster and do not reflect the views of Financialexpress.com. We have not independently verified the claims.