New program improves detection accuracy, safety-of-life solutions, and the advancement of MHAV™
Hoboken, NJ — Sfara revealed today its device testing program that evaluates and learns the capabilities and idiosyncrasies of various smartphone models, accelerating the development of mobile-based safety technologies for public infrastructure, consumers and fleets.
The thousands of smartphone models in the global market have different sensor capabilities that produce dramatically different outputs that need to be better understood and managed. These differences inhibit the development of safety-of-life solutions, as well as the accuracy of driver management programs and usage-based insurance (UBI) solutions because they distort data and skew results in complex ways. Unfortunately, the solution to this challenge is not easy. Sfara’s new testing will significantly reduce the problem caused by these discrepancies that others in the industry don’t even want to acknowledge.
In the spirit of its mission to provide enterprise class solutions, Sfara began studying the ability to use autonomous vehicles on a controlled proving ground to collect data on diverse sets of phone models. “We ran the vehicle on the same pre-programmed route on a closed track, so that all models are tested in identical circumstances.” said Ari Valtanen, CTO of Sfara. “What we learned is that human-driven testing simply does not provide the repeatable precision necessary to build predictable behavioral profiles of individual phone models and map their sensor discrepancies.”
As a result of these initial studies, Sfara launched an autonomous vehicle proving ground in Finland where they have already tested many smartphone devices with highest market penetrations from around the world. From this data, Sfara has built comprehensive profiles of each device, creating data needed to normalize detection capabilities with unprecedented accuracy.
The ability to normalize detection capabilities by understanding discrepancies is necessary to provide industry with the most accurate mobile detection capability available anywhere. In terms of current market impact, this unprecedented accuracy translates to vastly superior telematics programs that rank and rate drivers, including those for fleet and UBI.
“There is no arguing that discrepancies from disparate devices owned by drivers destroy the credibility of fleet solutions where people’s jobs are on the line because of driver rankings. In the UBI world, it’s the price of insurance premiums that are at stake.” said Rocco Tricarico, CMO of Sfara. “The Sfara autonomous vehicle proving ground also paves the way for our future technologies such as MHAV, which has drawn quite a bit of attention.”
Sfara’s partnership that created their Multi-Modal Hazard Avoidance System (MHAVTM) introduced a C-V2X infrastructure that opens communication amongst all modes of transportation, including autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, bicyclists, scooters, pedestrians, and city infrastructure.
“Our rigorous testing of smartphone models is yet another indication of our dedication to solving complex industry challenges with leading edge technologies,” said Erik Goldman, CEO of Sfara. “Our leadership team is deeply experienced in both telematics and enterprise organizations. That’s why from the beginning, we focused on solving not only technological challenges, but also the complex and often subtle operational ones that matter to enterprises, who require a higher level of accuracy, excellence and accountability.”
For more about Sfara, visit www.sfara.com
PRESS CONTACT:
Sfara, Inc.
Rocco Tricarico
Chief Marketing Officer
[email protected]
About Sfara, Inc.:
Sfara is enabling a mobile revolution in safety and control. Sfara’s patented AI technology and global platform transforms the smartphone into a secure mobile safety and analytics solution, available as a GDPR-compliant SaaS offering to our partners in the mobility space, including automakers and mobile network operators.
Capable of running on 4.6B smartphones sold worldwide since 2013, Sfara technology represents a paradigm shift for the telematics industry and our partners—offering unprecedented detection capabilities, without incremental hardware or data transport costs. Sfara provides a highly scalable, cloud-based data analytics and assurance solution designed to assist companies navigating the challenges of shifting transportation models, such as transportation-as-a-service, semi and fully autonomous vehicles, as well as fleet management and ride-sharing services.
Sfara is led by a deeply experienced executive team with over 150 billion miles driven on their leading-edge, embedded and aftermarket telematics solutions for consumer and fleet applications, including UBI and MPERs, operated throughout North America, Europe and China. Headquartered in Hoboken, NJ, Sfara also is expanding in Silicon Valley, Finland and in Germany via Sfara GmbH.