>> YOU COULD KILL TWO HOURS OR LESS WITH YOUR FEET AND THEN ENGAGE THE THROTTLE AND THEN YOU WILL JUST BE GOING.
MIKE: IT IS AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER, BUT DON’T LET THE SUPER BOWL -- THE SIMPLE LOOKS FOR YOU.
INSIDE IS COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN GIVE YOU QUITE A BOOST.
>> ALL OF THAT MAGIC HAPPENS IN THE BACKGROUND.
THOUSANDS OF DATA POINTS ARE RUNNING SO IT IS ALWAYS SAFE AND READY TO GO.
MIKE: HE FOUNDED THE COMPANY SUPER PEDESTRIAN.
THEY ALREADY MAKE THE COPENHAGEN WHEEL.
YOU PEDAL, THE BIKE TAKES OVER AVERAGES HIGHER SPEEDS WITHOUT THE MANUAL WORK.
IT IS THE SAME IDEA WITH THE SCOOTER.
SOME THINK THE SCOOTER MARKET COULD BE A $300 BILLION INDUSTRY BY 2030, BUT MAKING IT PROFITABLE HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE.
BUT HERE THEY THINK THEY HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION.
>> YOU DON’T NEED A HEARD OF PEOPLE TO SUPPORT.
YOU CAN DO IT WITH FEWER PEOPLE AND INCREASING THE QUALITY OF SERVICE.
MIKE OF RIDESHARING.
>> CLIMBS HILLS.
MIKE: SYSTEMS DETECT PROBLEMS IN A FRACTION OF A SYSTEM -- FRACTION OF A SECOND AND EVENT UNSAFE ACTIVITY.
-- PREVENT UNSAFE ACTIVITY.
>> THE VEHICLE CAN APPLY SELF PROTECTION IF IT HAS KNOWN A RISK TAKES PLACE DURING A RIDE.
MIKE: ALSO CONSTANTLY MONITORING TO AVOID FIRES.
WHILE TYPICAL SCOOTERS NEED A CHARGE EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS, THESE GO UP TO A WEEK.
>> PEOPLE RIDE FOR LIKE A MILE OR TWO BUT FROM AN OPERATIONS PERSPECTIVE IF YOU CAN GO 16, IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU NEED TO CHARGE IT.
YOU ARE MOTORCYCLIST.
MIKE: ANOTHER INTEREST IS FOR MINAS APOLOGIES.
THEY STORE -- MINAS APOLOGIES.
THEY STORE CITY RULES AND LET THE PERSON KNOW IF THEY ARE BREAKING THE LAW IN LESS THAN ONE SECOND.
>> IT IS FOUR TIMES THE BEST IN CLASS CURRENTLY IN THE INDUSTRY.
MIKE WALKING THE STREETS OF CAMBRIDGE OR BOSTON IS A CHALLENGE.
A GREEN LIGHT DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN GO.
IT IS ABOUT TO GET MORE DIFFICULT WITH SELF DRIVING CARS.
>> IN ORDER FOR THIS TECHNOLOGY TO PAY OFF, THEY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE.
MIKE: IN BOSTON WE KNOW A HAND GESTURE OR A NOT, THE CAR IS GOING TO STOP.
HOW DO YOU TEACH A MACHINE TO DO THAT?
THIS COMPANY HAS DEVELOPED A UNIQUE SYSTEM THAT DEVELOPS -- UNDERSTANDS WHEN A PEDESTRIAN WILL CROSS BY WATCHING BODY LANGUAGE.
>> THE THOUGHT BUBBLE HAS BARS THEY GO FROM YELLOW TO RED.
I MEAN SOMEBODY REALLY HAS A HIGH INTENTION OF CROSSING IN FRONT OF THIS CAR.
MIKE: DOES IT MATTER IF IT IS A CROSSWALK OR JAYWALKING, THE SYSTEM IN -- LOOKS AT THOUSANDS OF TRAITS, POSTURE, HOLDING A BACKPACK, TILTING YOUR HEAD OR MAKING EYE CONTACT.
THIS COULD WARN HUMAN DRIVER OR COMMUNICATE WITH A SELF-DRIVING CAR TO ALERT THEM TO WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO.
HARVARD SQUARE IS A PERFECT PLACE TO TEST THIS BECAUSE NO ONE SEEMS TO WAIT FOR THE WALK SIGNAL.
SHE LOOKED AT ONCOMING CARS AND SHE REALLY DIDN’T PAUSE.
THIS GUY IN THE ORANGE, HE FEELS CONFIDENT.
MIKE: THIS COMBINES BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE WITH MACHINE LEARNING TO GIVE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES INSIGHT INTO HOW HUMANS WILL REACT.
A SELF-DRIVING CAR IS NOT STOPPING EVERY TIME IT SEES A PERSON ON A SIDEWALK.
>> WE BRING EXPERTISE IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR, IN EUROS SCIENCE, COGNITIVE -- NEUROSCIENCE, COGNITIVE SCIENCE.
AND WE NEED TO HAVE THAT BROUGHT EXPERTISE.
-- BROAD EXPERTISE.
MIKE: THE COMPANY HAS PARTED WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST COMPANIES IN THE WORLD.
>> ANYTIME YOU HAVE A ROBOT INTERACTING WITH HUMANS, IF THEY CAN’T UNDERSTAND THE HUMANS SOCIALLY, IT WON’T WORK RIGHT.
ANTHONY: YOU MIGHT IMAGINE PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD CROSS THE STREET DIFFERENTLY.
NEW ENGLAND AND NORTHERN EUROPE CROSS VERY SIMILARLY.
IN CALIFORNIA PEOPLE REACT DIFFERENTLY TO ONCOMING CARS.
THE PROGRAM IS LEARNING THESE DIFFERENCES AND IT WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY THEM.
SHAYNA: THE SCOOTERS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FOR FLEET OPERATORS BUT INDIVIDUALS HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN GETTING THEIR HANDS ONTO THIS.
SUPER PEDESTRIAN IS CONSIDERING A CONSUMER VERSION WHICH WOULD BE GREAT.