Ultraviolette Bets on Hands-Free with 'Violette AI'
- Buck City Biker
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
At CES 2026, Ultraviolette — the Indian outfit behind the F77 and X44 — rolled out “Violette,” an onboard AI voice assistant designed to make riding safer, simpler, and a whole lot more integrated.
Anyone who’s ridden with a Bluetooth lid knows the upside: no phone bolted to the bars, no eyes dropping to a screen, no fumbling at lights. Ultraviolette’s new Violette system aims to push that idea further by integrating voice control directly into the bike itself. No mounts, no touchscreen poking mid-ride — just spoken commands.
What’s in the box
Violette is an AI voice assistant showcased on the F77 at CES 2026, built with SoundHound AI and aimed at hands-free bike interaction. Riders trigger it with a wake phrase and can control core functions without lifting a finger off the grips. That includes switching riding modes, kicking off navigation, pulling up ride statistics, and asking real-time questions like recommended tire pressures or service instructions from the digital manual. Violette will also handle pre-ride checks, proactive alerts on bike health, and service reminders — all through your helmet’s audio interface.
Why this makes sense
There’s a real logic to this beyond “because AI.” Riding is about focus — eyes up, mind in the moment — and fiddling with screens or menus has always been the weakest link in rider attention. With Violette, basic controls and information are at your voice’s mercy, theoretically keeping your gaze on the road and your hands where they belong. It sounds like a legit safety play in a world where bikes are becoming software-defined devices.
Why this might not make sense
Here’s the hard truth: motorcycles aren’t cars with roofs. Wind noise, helmet fit, and the chaos of real-world riding make reliable voice input a tougher nut to crack than it looks on a static demo floor. Ultraviolette says their audio-integrated helmet is part of the answer, but that adds extra hardware and complexity — and another thing to go wrong, or get ignored, if it doesn’t work flawlessly. Riders are also famously picky about control. Asking your bike what tyre pressure it recommends is one thing; trusting it mid-ride is another. Then there’s accents, roadside noise, and the simple frustration of “it didn’t hear me” at 70 mph. Real-world reliability — not glossy presentations — will make or break this.
'Violette AI' - The BCB take
Violette feels like a bold step in motorcycle brains. We’re past the era where range and battery size are the headline; software and rider integration are the battleground now — and even if a connected ride isn’t what you want, heads-up, it’s happening anyway. If Ultraviolette gets this right — truly seamless voice control with minimal distraction — it could set a new baseline for what an electric bike should do. But if it slips into gimmick territory, riders will shrug and go back to buttons. For now, we’re intrigued, and ready to test it on real roads.
Ride safe, folks.
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