Startups Zendrive and RapidSOS have launched aftermarket eCall solutions based on smartphone apps.
Zendrive
Zendrive has launched Accident Detection, the first-ever service to detect auto accidents using only the sensors on a smartphone. The SDK tells your app when there’s an accident in real-time, so you can build features to respond and help, like alerting emergency services, tow trucks, or loved ones, or even giving parents peace of mind or helping mitigate liability costs.
Beyond allowing developers to build emergency accident-response features into their apps, the technology can be incorporated into many other usecases. A roadside assistance app can build notifications for emergency assistance or towing. A ridesharing app can build notifications for emergency contacts in case of an accident. A driving education app can give both students and parents peace of mind by building in multiple types of alerts. A valet parking app can use the detection on the back end, to prove that their driver was driving cautiously and minimize customer and insurance liability in the event of a collision. Delivery fleets can send notifications to recipients so they know deliveries will be delayed.
With highly accurate collision detection for drives going over 30 mph (hard brakes don’t trigger it), the possibilities are endless.
The technology was refined by repeatedly putting phones into crash-test cars and normal cars on roads, and testing and refining the models on both “accidents” (crash-test collisions) and non-accident events (such as hard brakes, phone drops, etc), until the software had an extremely high accuracy rate. There were no instances of false positives or false negatives for rides over 30 mph, where the phone was either in a mount, in a pocket, or in a cup holder.
“BMW is committed to safety on the roads. We supported our portfolio company, Zendrive, by giving them access to our accident testing facilities in order to improve their accident detection algorithms. We are excited to cooperate with Zendrive to improve road safety on this and future projects” said Dr. Ulrich Quay, Head of BMW i Ventures.
Zendrive Accident Detection is initially available for iOS, with the Android version coming soon. The service is now available to developers and can be added to any iPhone app in less than 30 minutes.
Early customers integrating Zendrive’s Accident Detection into their apps and services include:
Urgent.ly
Urgent.ly is America’s leading on-demand roadside assistance app allowing customers to track the real-time progress of their service request on a map. “By adding Zendrive’s innovative Accident Detection technology to Urgent.ly’s platform, we will now be able to quickly detect if our customers have been in an accident, immediately ask them if they need emergency or roadside assistance and then quickly connect them to the nearest available help. Adding Zendrive to our platform allows Urgent.ly to futher our goals of providing drivers the quickest help at their immediate moment of need and lead innovation in the roadside assistance industry.“ said Surendra Goel, co-founder and CTO of Urgent.ly.
eDriving
“With over 10 million customers and counting, eDriving is the leader in digital driving education and behind-the-wheel training through its DriversEd.com and iDriveSafely.com brands,” said Celia Stokes, CEO of eDriving. “Driving is a powerful rite of passage–but becoming a safe driver takes both the right training and time behind the wheel. Our mission is to build smart, crash-free drivers. We are intent on using the power of emerging telematic technologies to support both the teens and their parents through the entire process in ways that were not possible even five years ago. By integrating Zendrive Accident Detection into our apps, we are increasing peace of mind that these new drivers will be safe no matter what.”
Luxe
Luxe is the leader of the fast growing on-demand valet parking market - the service will pick up and park cars in San Francisco, LA, and Chicago, with more cities coming soon. “We are committed to making sure that our valets are the safest in the business. ” said Craig Martin, Luxe co-founder and CTO. “We want to reassure customers that their car is always in good hands, and one of the ways we do that is use Zendrive’s driver analytics. The platform, with the new collision detection feature lets us shorten response times and limits our insurance liability in case anything happens. Zendrive allows us to keep an objective data-driven record that our valet was driving cautiously at the time.”
HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive is a ride service designed to help busy parents get their kids where they need to go when parents can’t do the driving themselves. “Safety is our top priority, so we’re always looking at ways to raise the bar even higher with the latest safety advancements.” said Joanna McFarland, CEO of HopSkipDrive. “Whether it’s our 15-point certification process, or ensuring that we have immediate responses to any event or parental need – HopSkipDrive is designed to give parents the utmost confidence to entrust us with their children. That’s something we fully understand and appreciate, since we’re parents, too.”
RapidSOS
RapidSOS is a team from MIT, Harvard, and some of the largest tech companies and national labs that came together after personally experiencing 911 failure. We spent two years working with over 100 dispatch centers globally to develop RapidSOS One-Touch-911.
This award-winning technology is the most efficient and effective system for communicating during a life-threatening emergency, transmitting data from your phone directly to first responders in a matter of seconds.
RapidSOS spent two years working with over 100 emergency dispatch centers globally to develop One-Touch-911. RapidSOS One-Touch-911 transmits all the key information that dispatchers need with one touch of your smart phone.
Running off RapidSOS’ emergency communications platform, One-Touch-911 has the built in intelligence to manage any emergency you face: Limited, intermittent, or no cell service? Unable to speak on the phone? Non-native English speaker? No idea where you are? Unsure what precisely to report? No problem. With the push of a button first responders are on their way. Simultaneously alert your loved ones – with one touch your family is alerted to your emergency.
RapidSOS is seeking funding through Kickstarter.