Advertisement
Greater Bay Area
BusinessCompanies

Chinese smart helmet maker Livall targets food delivery firms as giants such as Meituan work to improve safety for riders

  • Growing demand for food deliveries has increased concerns about riders’ safety, Shenzhen Qianhai Livall loT Technology CEO says
  • Mass production of smart helmets for food delivery firms and ride-sharing platforms could start this year

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Founded in 2014, Livall started with the manufacture of smart sports helmets before gradually extending production to urban road motorcycle helmets. Photo: Handout
Peggy Sito

Smart helmet maker Shenzhen Qianhai Livall loT Technology is in talks with China’s leading food delivery firms about intelligent helmets that will improve the safety of their riders.

Advertisement

A major maker of such helmets globally, the company was founded in 2014. It started with the manufacture of smart sports helmets before gradually extending production to urban road motorcycle helmets.

“Growing demand for online food delivery services in recent years has increased concerns about their deliverymen’s safety. Smart helmets provide solutions for riders’ safety and let them connect with the world while they are riding,” Zheng Bo, the company’s founder, said in an interview with the Post.

Zheng did not identify any of Livall’s clients, but said mass production of smart helmets for food delivery apps and ride-sharing platforms could start this year.

The talks between Livall and food delivery companies come as these firms face criticism for pushing their drivers to work in unsafe conditions. There have been a number of traffic accidents involving delivery drivers rushing to fulfil their quotas.
Chinese food delivery giant Meituan’s riders in Shanghai. The company launched a pilot smart helmet project with Livall last year, according to local media reports. Photo: Bloomberg
Chinese food delivery giant Meituan’s riders in Shanghai. The company launched a pilot smart helmet project with Livall last year, according to local media reports. Photo: Bloomberg
These incidents have pushed companies such as Meituan, China’s largest food delivery platform, to explore ways of improving the working environment of their takeaway riders. Meituan, for instance, last week announced the sale of shares and convertible bonds worth about US$10 billion. It said it planned to use the proceeds for the research and development of autonomous-delivery vehicles, deliveries by drones and other innovations to enhance its food delivery options.
Advertisement
loading
Advertisement