One Chicago-based startup just took a big step toward making its tech an integral part of the connected car future.
HAAS Alert (which stands for "Heedful Audio Alert System") creates tech that alerts drivers, motorcycles and cyclists to approaching emergency vehicles. Over the next 12 to 24 months, HAAS Alert will outfit 100 emergency vehicles in Detroit with their tech, and work with Ford to test the best ways to alert a driver of a emergency vehicles and roadway interruption, as well as collect data on routes and traffic patterns which could feed into "smart city" grid in Detroit.
This summer, the startup went through Techstars Mobility, a transportation tech focused accelerator, which is sponsored by Ford. They were one of just three startups chosen to work with Ford moving forward. CEO and cofounder Cory Hohs said the accelerator helped them realize the realm of possibilities for their tech.
"Being in Techstars, it allowed us to expand on the stories around autonomous vehicles [and] how we make a play for connected cars of the future," said Hohs.
HAAS Alert sends automatic push notifications and an audible alert to drivers and cyclists through a car stereo or headphones. First responders are either outfitted with a device or are onboarded to a mobile device platform, which then uses sensors to monitor the siren, speed, bearing, and other data sets from the device. Then, that data is sent to nearby motorists as an emergency vehicle speeds to the scene. The radius of the alert and sensor parameters are customizable by city (because there would be a different alert radius for Chicago versus a rural area).
They're looking to expand their dataset to include municipality workers, cable companies and construction workers alerting drivers to a variety of "roadway interrupters" that could cause traffic delays or danger.
Moving forward, Hohs said they're not focused on growing app users. Rather they're looking to be a data-as-service company that can integrate their "safety cloud"--data from emergency vehicles and other roadway interrupters--into connected car tech such as Apple Car Play and Android Auto, as well as mobility apps such as Google Maps, that people already use everyday.
"We can get the data directly from the source, from the municipality worker and the emergency vehicle," said Hohs. "Not having to rely on crowdsourcing to feed that data back, that’s where we see a high amount of value."
With the Ford partnership, Hohs said HAAS Alert will help connect emergency vehicles to Detroit's growing smart city grid (essentially connected urban infrastructure, such as connected traffic lights), see the impact of alerts and notifications in a connected car operating system and explore vehicle-to-vehicle mobile communication.
In addition, Ford has already announced its commitment to connected cars and autonomous vehicles, which provides more opportunities for the startup. As humans become more hands off in vehicles, Hohs said it will be key to create traffic, navigation and emergency alerts that are "passive, pre-emptive, and proactive." For example, a loud alert could startle or frighten a driver, so they're looking at implementing a visual heat map that indicates a roadway interruption.
HAAS Alert has offices in Detroit and Chicago, and are rolled out in six cities total. Currently HAAS Alert tech has been implemented across the Chicago Fire Department, and next up they're looking to expand to ambulances and the Chicago Police Department.
Previously Hohs worked as a product manager at Chicago navigation startup HERE. HAAS Alert previously went through the Seamless Accelerator in Michigan and has worked out of hardware coworking hub Catalyze Chicago (now mHUB).
