The use of AI technologies in cars is proliferating today as safety and efficiency benefits continue to be realized. Rope Inc., a tech startup offering smart accident detection devices, has launched a new crowdfunding effort for its eCall device.
The campaign on Indiegogo will help the company launch the emergency call service to the global market. The device, the Baton Plug, plugs right into the car's cigarette lighter socket and uses a mobile device's Bluetooth to track and detect if it has any unusual movement that signals it was involved in a car accident.
Within 30 seconds, preset emergency contacts and emergency services are sent the details and GPS information.
The World Health Organization reported 392,904 deaths in car accidents worldwide last year. Improvements in emergency rescue systems can help to significantly lower these fatality rates.
Major players in the mobile arena, from Apple (News - Alert) to Google, are working on ways to add sensors and accessories to their smartphones to help with in-car issues.
"Many companies have tried to implement eCall services via apps, using the sensors already found in iPhones and Android (News - Alert) smartphones,” said Rope CEO Jason Cho. “It is easy for these services to recognize falls, but very difficult to monitor car movements on various types of roads and intelligently recognize potentially-fatal accidents."
Rope’s new AI device is different from other eCall services on the market as anyone can plug it into their car and connect to their mobile device versus having to drive a newer car with the capability included, or subscribe to a separate service to keep it active.
"While this service cannot prevent accidents, it can help save lives by ensuring that people get help as fast as possible in the event of an accident," said Cho.