Computer Vision and idRIDER: The Future of Bike Identification

March 6, 2023

By Founder Alexander Lennon – idRIDER #1

Bike theft is a major problem all over the world, with millions of bikes stolen every year. Unfortunately, many of these bikes are never returned to their rightful owners because of the difficulty in identifying them. However, technology is changing that. With the help of computer vision, idRIDER is making it easier to identify bikes and prevent theft.

At idRIDER, we started with a focus on the most important piece of information law enforcement requires to identify any stolen property – the serial number. It’s the unique identifier that helps to differentiate one bike from another. However, the serial number is often difficult to transcribe, especially when it’s located in a hard-to-see spot on the bike.

That’s where computer vision comes in. By training our machine learning models on a vast dataset of bike images, we’re able to automatically identify a bike by its make, model, tire info, and other identifying features, including the bike’s serial number.

With just one photo, our system can identify a bike and its unique serial number, allowing users to easily register their bikes on the idRIDER platform. This makes it easier to track your bike in case of theft, and also helps to prevent theft in the first place.

But our computer vision technology isn’t just limited to bike identification. It also allows us to identify bikes that are listed as stolen on our platform. By using our machine learning algorithms to analyze images of stolen bikes, we can alert our users if a bike matching their registered bike’s information is listed as stolen. This creates a community watch network, helping to reduce bike theft and increase the likelihood of stolen bikes being returned to their rightful owners.

Our focus on computer vision and machine learning is just one of the ways that idRIDER is working to make the world a better place for bike enthusiasts. With just one simple photo, users can safeguard themselves in the event they are wronged by bike theft. Join us in the fight against bike theft, and let’s make our roads safer for everyone.

The registration process was quick and easy to register my family’s bikes. Now I have peace of mind knowing if something happens to my bike, I have a much better chance of getting it back.

Every responsible bike owner should take a few moments to register their bike with idRIDER. I did.

For anyone who thinks it’s not worth the 3 minutes to register your bike – think again.

idRIDER helps ensure stolen bikes do not end up on the used bicycle black market – and instead stay with their rightful owner.

I was so thankful that my bike was able to be identified and returned to me. Without proper identification of my bike, there was not a chance I was going to get it back. I was lucky that idRIDER was so careful and took time to find the punched in serial number. I wouldn’t expect that level of care from just anyone. Having a way to identify my bike was crucial to its return, and I think having various ways to identify and get the word out about stolen bikes can help to get them back to their owners.

Did you know?

In 2019, bicycles were second only to motor vehicles in number of thefts.