DCU (Dublin City University) is setting up to launch the shared e-scooter scheme that will monitor how AI (artificial intelligence) along with computer-vision technology may enhance safety and offer new sources of data for the “smart city” use cases.
This trial is set to last for six months and Smart DCU with a micro-mobility technology agency Luna, e-scooter operator Insight and TIER, the Irish research centre dedicated to data analytics.
Andrew Fleury, the CEO, and Co-Founder of Luna states that the research project is going to help pave the way, regarding the future of the municipal value and safety of electric-powered scooters, in Ireland and Dublin, but also globally.
He also says that this project is going to enable further developments of Dublin as a “smart city” and enhance Luna’s position as the primary technology provider when it comes to the control and governance of the shared electric-scooter schemes for the future.
The 30 TIER scooters, equipped with the Luna technology will have the capabilities of lane-segmentation algorithms and running pedestrian-detection, which will allow vehicles to not only understand but also detect how many people are on the same path, and whether these people are on a footpath, cycle lane, or the road.
The potential “use cases” that might be prototyped in the pilot may include street-infrastructure mapping, road-condition monitoring, kerbside-management applications, traffic-congestion alerts, and heat-mapping of the footpath-riding incidents uses as the indicator of a problematic junction or a defective cycling infrastructure.
The pilot in Dublin is set to run over a period of six months and will be only cover the university grounds, along with the close to 2,000 staff and its 18,000 students.
Legislative Change
This project marks the first of the structured e-scooter trials in Ireland as this country is moving towards legalizing e-scooters. You our content on “Are escooters legal in Ireland” to find out more.
In February, the Irish Government approved the plans that drafted legislation to see these devices regulated for use on roads.
Before this anticipated legislative change, many micro-mobility players had already announced plans dedicated to the Irish market.
The micro-mobility companies in Ireland, which include Bleeper, Zipp, and Zeus, are planning to launch as soon as the legislation has been passed, while Dutch e-scooter firm Estonian outfit Bolt and Dott also have hopes to expand to Dublin and Ireland.
The Taxi app is known as Free Now is also aiming to make these micro-mobility scooters available through its partnership with TIER, and Bird has announced its plan to invest £108 million (US$150 million) to expand to over 50 European locations, such as Galway, Limerick, Cork, and Dublin.
