Shared e-scooter operator Tier Mobility has acquired Fantasmo, a company specialising in 3D mapping and camera positioning systems (CPS).
The two companies had been working together over the past year, with Fantasmo’s camera systems helping Tier stop users from leaving their e-scooters outside of designated parking bays.
Tier first implemented Fantasmo’s system in Paris and expanded it across 185 cities in Europe and the Middle East.
“The acquisition of Fantasmo is a major step forward in our continuous investment in innovative features and technologies that will help to make e-scooters more compliant and safer for all road users,” says Matthias Laug, CTO and co-founder of Tier.
“From the very beginning, we’ve been hugely impressed by Fantasmo’s Camera Positioning System, which allows us to directly address the concerns of vulnerable road users when it comes to how e-scooters are parked. Our plan is to expand the positioning technology to numerous cities in Europe and the Middle East in the near future and at the same time invest in the upcoming computer vision-powered rider assistance system.”
In the coming years, Tier wants to introduce a new computer vision-based driver assistance technology that can detect traffic violations and collisions, as well as reckless scooter riding.
This new technology relies heavily on Fantasmo’s CPS technology, which allows for high positional accuracy and centimetre-level mapping, apparently.
According to Tier, GPS positioning systems cannot be as accurate as Fantasmo’s CPS when it comes to the finer details of urban locations.
Fantasmo builds 3D maps of cities by foot, walking, for example, over 2,500 km of Paris streets with its camera and, because these maps are carried out at ground level, its positioning is more accurate than satellite-based GPS systems.
The amount of the purchase price and further financial details of the transaction will not be disclosed. Adding to its current workforce of more than 1,200 employees, TIER will retain all 15 of Fantasmo’s highly skilled experts in Europe and in the US.
Keyword: Tier Acquires Fantasmo to Improve e-Scooter Safety Efforts