Bird Unveils Augmented Reality-Powered Parking Technology; Free to City Partners to Keep Walkways Neat

By Staff 3 years ago

Powered by Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, Bird’s New Parking Technology Aims to Serve as a Panacea to the Micromobility Industry’s Parking Challenges by Enforcing Parking Norms

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bird Global, Inc. (NYSE:BRDS), a leader in environmentally friendly electric transportation, today announced its new parking technology, Bird Visual Parking System (VPS), which is available for free to city partners and requires zero infrastructure or tech investments on behalf of the community.

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Bird VPS is a scalable, revolutionary new parking tool, powered by Google’s ARCore Geospatial API. The technology enables Bird to geo-localize parked scooters with pinpoint accuracy by leveraging years of Google 3D scanning, augmented reality (AR) technology and Google Maps Street View data from around the world. With this new technology, Bird riders can more accurately and precisely end their eco-friendly rides in a tidy manner while adhering to communities’ parking guidelines in an effort to keep walkways and ramps free of 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,” said 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.”

How Bird VPS Works

The revolutionary technology exists within the Bird app and can be used on both iOS and Android operating systems, allowing for it to scale to all Bird riders over time and to be immune to theft or vandalism, unlike other parking technologies. There are three easy, seamless steps to take when using Bird VPS. They include:

  • Scan – When ending a ride, the rider is prompted to quickly scan the surrounding area with the camera on their smartphone
  • Analyze – Using Google’s new ARCore Geospatial API, Bird instantaneously compares the rider’s images to those in Google’s knowledge base of data and Street View images
  • Park – With the resulting centimeter-level geolocation, Bird VPS will either allow the rider to park and go on with their day (if it complies with local city parking requirements) or prompt them to correct the vehicle’s parking before ending the ride

Bird VPS Pricing and Availability

Bird VPS is free for Bird’s city partners. It is currently being piloted in New York City, San Francisco and San Diego with plans to expand to more of Bird’s 400+ partner cities.

About Bird

Bird is an electric vehicle company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally friendly transportation solutions such as e-scooters and e-bikes to communities across the world. Founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is rapidly expanding. Today, it provides fleets of shared micro electric vehicles to riders in more than 400 cities globally and makes its products available for purchase at www.bird.co and via leading retailers and distribution partners. Bird partners closely with the cities in which it operates to provide a reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there.

Contacts

Investor
Caitlin Churchill

investor@bird.co

Media
Rebecca Hahn

press@bird.co

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