Existing solutions

 

City governments are trying to improve safety by providing rider education, building bike lanes, setting speed limits, and setting usage rules. Electric scooter manufacturers are addressing the problem by adding safety features such as bigger tires and reducing the maximum motor speed. These actions do prevent some accidents but they are very expensive. Some rental fleet operators are giving away free helmets but this only lessens the harm from an accident rather than prevent the accident. E-scooters require additional features to keep the riders alert of potential dangers and prevent accidents. CATS fills the gap with its economical add-on solution. 

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CATS is unique

 

The Collision Alert Technology for Scooters (CATS) is designed to meet the specific needs of electric scooter riders, e-scooter manufacturers, rental fleet operators, and city decision makers. CATS is inspired by ‘active safety’ solutions used successfully in the automotive industry. For example, a car’s backup camera detects hazards when reversing and alerts the driver for possible collisions. 

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The following novel CATS features provide unique value over existing solutions: 

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• The CATS system detects hazards typical to those seen by e-scooters on roads, bike lanes and sidewalks, as e-scooters will be used nearly anywhere. 

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• CATS avoids false alerts by only detecting hazards while the e-scooter is moving faster than a walking pace. 

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• CATS alerts are useful to not only the e-scooter rider, but also to nearby pedestrians who might not be aware of these silent vehicles approaching. 

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• In addition to the active safety features, CATS also addresses the issue of e-scooters left laying down on the ground. CATS blinks the hazard warning light on a downed e-scooter to provide visibility and encourage passing do-gooders to upright the e-scooter.

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• CATS is cost-effective compared to other solutions. The CATS system uses off-the-shelf parts which can be integrated into any e-scooter (or small vehicle). 

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• CATS uses LIDAR proximity sensor technology initially developed for drone applications. The sensors are small, low-power, accurate, and inexpensive. 

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• CATS sends real-time data to rental fleet operators and to city authorities. This enables an immediate response to accidents, and provides useful information for preventing future accidents. 

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Unique value

 

Most of the current solutions to address e-scooter safety are very expensive or are primarily reactive such that they only help after an accident has occurred. The inexpensive CATS solution maximizes safety by preventing accidents from occurring in the first place. Also, only our solution captures real-time accident data. This aids in a faster response and an effective investigation.