Luna And JUMPWatts Announce Partnership To Explore Smart City Micromobilty Solutions

Irish and US start-up companies will work together on a pilot project in partnership with Smart DCU, to combine their computer vision and automated vehicle technologies for shared scooters

Dublin /PRNewswire/ - Leading Irish 'smart scooter' technology company Luna is today announcing a partnership with US based company JUMPWatts with the aim of combining 'teleoperation' and 'computer vision' technology, to improve the safety and operational efficiency of shared electric scooter fleets for riders, pedestrians, operators and cities. The companies are planning to work together on a pilot project in the Smart DCU Campus in Dublin.

The partnership aims to provide a solution to the escalating global problem of e-scooters being in the wrong location relative to user demand and cluttering footpaths, leading to inconvenience and hazards - particularly for wheelchair users and the visually impaired.

JUMPWatts, a Los Angeles based micromobility teleoperations start-up, has created 'Virtual Valet', a suite of technologies that allows any e-scooter to right itself if tipped-over, remotely re-position itself to a designated parking zone, and be summoned by riders to a specific location. Luna provides world-first computer vision solutions to shared micromobility operators, to tackle the issues associated with e-scooter rental schemes, such as footpath/sidewalk riding, pedestrian collision, and improper parking.

Through the combination of both companies' technologies in this pilot project, it is envisaged that the adoption of shared e-scooter schemes will accelerate greatly by solving key safety and governance issues being identified by city authorities across the globe. JUMPWatts' teleoperation and autonomous technology combined with Luna's vision technology will make fleet operations much more cost effective for operators and will make dockless micromobility much more attractive to cities.

The new semi-autonomous fleets enabled by this collaboration will also be able to collect Smart City data ranging from road condition monitoring and crowd analytics to traffic congestion alerts and curbside management applications. The joint technologies will be test-bedded in partnership with Smart DCU, a District of Smart Dublin. Smart Dublin is an initiative founded by the four Dublin Local Authorities, with the goal of future-proofing the Dublin region by trialing and scaling innovative solutions to a wide range of local challenges.

Andrew Fleury, co-founder & CEO, Luna: "We are very excited to announce our collaboration with JUMPWatts. We are both working towards similar goals of addressing safety solutions for electric scooters and we believe that together we can accelerate our companies' joint objectives. The issue of e-scooter footpath clutter is one that is currently hampering numerous cities and towns across the world. Luna believes that the combined technologies of Luna and JUMPWatts will help to address this issue and offer a solution that will be compelling for both operators and cities alike."

Arun Gunasekaran, co-founder & CEO, JUMPWatts added: "The micromobility space is ripe for innovations that not only improve the bottom line for fleet operators, but also create a better experience for users and municipalities. Our vehicle enhancement technology, Virtual Valet, is just that — a way to increase profitability and decrease chaos in the streets. Our Virtual Valet technology can be retrofitted to enhance existing fleets or designed into vehicles for direct integration, leading to a 95% reduction in sidewalk nuisances and up to 40% increase in fleet profitability. Utilizing Luna Systems' advanced computer vision software alongside our offering provides best in class situational awareness for our remote repositioning systems."

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About Luna
Luna began as a collaborative innovation project in the Intel-Movidius 'Edge AI' accelerator programme in DCU in 2019. Luna provides computer vision and Edge AI solutions to better manage deployment and operation of shared micromobility fleets. Luna allows an e-scooter to understand if it is operating in a heavily pedestrianised area and how to react accordingly. It also equips e-scooters to detect the kind of lane or surface they are riding on (bike lane, footpath, road), and again react accordingly depending on an operator and/or the city's safety parameters. Luna is also developing a series of algorithms and analytics tools that will allow scooter operators and Cities gain new insights into how the urban realm is performing, for both citizens and businesses. The company's investors include former Irish and Lions rugby captain Brian O'Driscoll.

About JUMPWatts
JUMPWatts is a Los Angeles based teleoperated micromobility ecosystem start-up that created Virtual Valet, a suite of technologies that allows any e-scooter to right itself if tipped-over, remotely re-position itself to a designated parking zone, and be summoned by riders. With a vision to expand microbmobility and remove barriers for operators, users, and municipalities, JUMPWatts brings order to city sidewalks. With 24/7 infield teleoperational support, JUMPWatts is the solution for having scooters in the right place both for usability and profitability. JUMPWatts is a Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator portfolio company and Grid110 Accelerator alumnus. For more information, visit www.jumpwatts.com.

About Smart DCU
Smart DCU is a collaborative testbed initiative between Dublin City Council and partners Enable, Insight, and DCU Alpha. The goal of Smart DCU is to develop, test and trial cutting-edge technology innovations emerging from industry partners based in DCU Alpha and elsewhere, through leveraging the IoT and Data Analytics capabilities of Enable and Insight respectively. Smart DCU is a District of the wider Smart Dublin initiative, founded by the four Dublin Local Authorities, which brings together technology providers, academia, and citizens to build a better, more resilient Dublin.