Bengaluru Techie's AI Helmet Impresses Top Cops for Traffic Enforcement

• Pankaj Tanwar, a Bengaluru techie, met with the Joint Commissioner of Police to discuss his AI-powered helmet for detecting traffic violations.
• The meeting was described as open and encouraging, with officers expressing genuine interest in the technology.
• Key discussion points included integrating the helmet with existing AstraM APIs and addressing the "snitching culture" criticism, with officers emphasizing deterrence and safety.
• Officers highlighted the challenge of low challan compliance (only 20% paid) and the potential for the helmet to complement existing large-scale surveillance.
• Tanwar plans to develop a smaller prototype and refine AI models, seeking grants or institutional backing as the project is not currently profit-driven.

Why It Matters: Bengaluru police are keen on an AI helmet to boost traffic enforcement and safety, moving beyond social media demos.