Irish start-up Provizio has signed a deal with micromobility company Voi to help bring its safety technology to scooters.
Provizio is adapting its Perception platform that it developed for the motor industry for e-scooters as part of Voi’s commitment to eliminating severe injuries and fatalities connected to its service by 2030. It uses cutting-edge sensor and AI technology to help prevent e-scooter accidents in real-time.
The move is the first time the Irish company has branched out from its core market, which is focused on the car industry. Provizio was founded Limerick man Barry Lunn, whose previous company, radar technology specialist Arralis, was acquired in a $50 million deal.
“We always said from the beginning that it was trying to make mobility safer for everybody, not just cars and not a car-centric world. Even a big part of what we do for cars is watching out for motorcyclists, scooter, riders, cyclists, pedestrians, that were largely ignored by the technology for the last 20 years,” said Mr Lunn.
“Voi came to us and asked could we adapt this technology to a scooter. It was a two fold benefit for us; because of our approach to how we build this technology with this GPU based approach, with this plug and play approach, it does open up markets that just weren’t available to 4D or 5D radar perception in the past. I think this is a nice one where we can show that a little bit. It’s showing that this is a technology that can actually go on to something as small as a scooter. Because then you start to think big vehicles need this too.”
It also opens up the aftermarket business to Provizio’s technology, providing the company with new avenues for the future.
The five-dimensional perception system can see, track and interpret vehicular behaviour and identify roadway elements. The new research will see the technology tested on Voi e-scooters used to identify vehicles up to 200m away and pedestrians up to 60m away. The artificial intelligence continuously learns and processes the surrounding environment more than 20 times per second. It works in all weather conditions, allowing it to be used in multiple countries across Europe.
The Irish company will work on the e-scooter project over the next three months at the Future Mobility Campus, allowing engineers to simulate a real-world environment to test the technology.
“It’s a unique opportunity to see it from all angles in Perception. Obviously it doesn’t need to be as beefy as what we deliver for automotive, considering the form factor of a scooter and you know, speeds that they go,” Mr Lunn said. “[Voi ] was a natural pairing.”
Voi hopes to operate its services in Ireland following the introduction of regulations that will allow for the legal use of the vehicles on Irish roads, and the establishment of shared e-scooter schemes.
“Safety must be at the heart of micromobility in Ireland. By partnering with Provizio, Voi continues its dedication to empowering people to leave their cars behind and move around their city in a safer, more sustainable way,” said Sam Pooke, senior policy manager for Voi UK and Ireland. “Crucial to driving a systematic shift in how we travel is through using a mix of education and innovative technology, as well as refining operations on the ground, to achieve our Vision Zero target. Not all journeys will be the same as the previous one; however, working in collaboration with Provizio not only supports the notion that every e-scooter rider must act responsibly, but every journey must end safely.”
