UCL researchers to help develop a universal sound for e-scooters

Experts at UCL’s Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL) will work with e-scooter operators TIER, Lime and Dott, to develop the new sound. The sound will become an industry standard for rental e-scooters.

A standardised sound will help pedestrians and road-users, particularly those with sight loss, hearing loss and neurodiverse conditions, to know when an e-scooter is nearby and how it’s moving.

After being developed and tested in London, the sound will be used in other cities around the UK and beyond.

The project, an industry first, will build on existing work by the three e-scooter operators. The project follows engagement with disability experts and access consultants including Transport for All, the Thomas Pocklington Trust and the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

The sound will be developed and ethically tested at PEARL, where experts can create different city environments.

UCL Consultants, part of UCL Innovation & Enterprise, coordinated the contract between TIER Mobility and UCL PEARL.

Read the full story on the UCL News website.

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Find out more about:

• Innovation and enterprise support for UCL staff
• UCL Consultants
• UCL PEARL
• Professor Nick Tyler’s academic profile
• UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering
• UCL Engineering

Photo from Tier