In Augmented Reality News
May 12, 2022 – Bird Global, Inc., a supplier of environmentally pleasant electrical transportation in the type of e-scooters and e-bikes, has not too long ago introduced its new parking technology, Bird Visual Parking System (VPS), which is accessible at no cost to metropolis companions and requires zero infrastructure or tech investments on behalf of the group.
Bird VPS is a new parking software, powered by Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, which was introduced yesterday at Google’s I/O developer convention. According to the company, the technology allows Bird to geo-localize its parked scooters with pinpoint accuracy by leveraging Google’s augmented actuality (AR) technology, 3D scanning and Google Maps Street View information from world wide. With this new technology, Bird riders can extra precisely and exactly finish their eco-friendly rides in a tidy method whereas adhering to communities’ parking pointers in an effort to hold walkways and ramps freed from obstruction.
“The new ARCore Geospatial API from Google is an absolute game changer for micromobility that allows us to offer cities a first-of-its-kind Visual Parking System that’s unmatched in terms of accuracy and scalability,” mentioned Justin Balthrop, Chief Technology Officer at Bird. “With Bird VPS, we’re able to meet cities’ number one need, proper parking, in a way that’s never been possible before, and we’re able to do it at scale in cities around the world thanks to Google’s robust global data and technology.”
Bird said that the technology exists throughout the Bird app and can be utilized on each iOS and Android working techniques, permitting for it to scale to all Bird riders over time. The company additionally believes that the VPS answer will assist its service to be immune to theft or vandalism.
When utilizing Bird VPS, riders want to take three steps utilizing VPS:
- Scan – When ending a journey, the rider is prompted to rapidly scan the encompassing space with the digital camera on their smartphone;
- Analyze – Using Google’s new ARCore Geospatial API, Bird instantaneously compares the rider’s pictures to these in Google’s data base of knowledge and Street View pictures;
- Park – With the ensuing centimeter-level geolocation, Bird VPS will both permit the rider to park and go on with their day (if it complies with native metropolis parking necessities) or immediate them to appropriate the automobile’s parking earlier than ending the journey.
Bird VPS is free for Bird’s metropolis companions. It is presently being piloted in New York City, San Francisco and San Diego with plans to increase to extra of Bird’s 400+ companion cities.
Scooter firms have made headlines in latest years, with rentable scooters littering sidewalks in a number of cities and usually inflicting a nuisance to pedestrians. Companies similar to Bird have vowed to do extra to get their customers to obey native rules and bylaws. The utilization of augmented actuality inside its parking answer marks one other step by the company in guaranteeing that customers return scooters to acceptable places in the correct method.
Image credit score: Bird Global, Inc.