INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
GPS is too inaccurate to tell if a scooter is being driven or parked in off-limits area
But as scooter startups compete for permits from city governments, they need a way to prove their riders play by the rules
Positioning Standard to give self-driving cars, robots, and AR games a dynamically updated understanding of the real world around them
But now Fantasmo is focusing on the urgent use case of scooter accountability.Its camera attaches to personal electric vehicles, captures
Scooter companies could make their vehicles beep and slowly lose acceleration where not allowed, issue fines for parking in the wrong spot,
notify redistribution teams to move errant vehicles, or ban riders who consistently break their terms.The tech could even make maps of
Fantasmo co-founder Jameson Detweiler
Visual positioning is accurate enough that a scooter can know when it is in prohibited zone even if the zone is only as wide as a
startup website builder LaunchRock, and electrical engineering PhD Dr
Fantasmo has raised $2.2 million in funding led by TenOneTen Ventures to build decentralized 3D maps of the world
Instead of expensive LIDAR sensors like for autonomous vehicles, a simple 2D camera with the right software is sufficient for positioning.So
positioning, it benefits from network effect
An individual mobility startup might end up with less accurate maps while wasting resources far outside their core purpose
Developers and personal vehicles companies that want to work with Fantasmo can apply for beta access on its website.The vision is to build
Without super accurate maps, the idea of passenger-less scooters rampaging through cities is terrifying
with a tech giant like Google hoarding this data
