TIER acquires Fantasmo to help improve e-scooter parking
European micro-mobility provider TIER Mobility has acquired Fantasmo, a US-based technology company, to continue investing in and developing an accurate e-scooter parking system.
TIER claims Fantasmo has already earned a world-class reputation with its Camera Positioning System (CPS), a new positioning technology that is ten times more accurate than GPS and which can validate e-scooter parking within 20cm or less.
With this purchase, TIER hopes to bring order to city streets and protect vulnerable road users including visually impaired people, by using technology to stop users from parking in no-go areas. The technology will also help to address challenges such as pavement and tandem riding.
TIER has also announced today it plans to introduce a new computer vision-based driver assistance technology that can detect traffic violations and collisions as well as reckless riding on the scooter. Riders who do not follow the rules and regulations will be alerted to their offences and may even be fined or banned. The new technology is currently being tested privately and will be rolled out in cities around the world in the coming months.
TIER and next-generation mapping company Fantasmo have established a strong relationship in the last 12 months, with Fantasmo supporting TIER’s efforts to eliminate irresponsible parking, resolving a major concern for city authorities and pedestrians.
The company rolled out Fantasmo’s CPS first in Paris and later in other locations across TIER’s network of 185+ cities throughout Europe and the Middle East, including London, York, Dusseldorf and Leipzig.
The new computer vision-based driver assistance feature, which is currently being tested, is enabled by CPS technology and allows for high positional accuracy and centimetre-level mapping. Unlike other solutions that use GPS tracking, Fantasmo’s unique technology provides an extremely accurate representation of vehicle location, even in dense urban environments where the GPS signal does not work reliably, claims TIER.
Says Matthias Laug, CTO and co-founder of TIER:
“The acquisition of Fantasmo is another example of our continuous investment in innovative features and technologies that make e-scooters more compliant and safer for all road users. 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.”
Adds Jameson Detweiler, President and co-founder of Fantasmo:
“We have been working with TIER closely for over a year, and have experienced firsthand their commitment to be the best micro-mobility platform for cities, citizens and riders. We are excited to continue on this journey together as we continue to expand our CPS powered parking validation technology and into the future by bringing that technology and advanced rider assistance systems directly onto vehicles.
“We are confident that with TIER’s operational and vehicle experience and Fantasmo’s computer vision technology, we can ensure micro-mobility vehicles, pedestrians and everyone else will be able to exist together harmoniously.”
