Trucking Gears Up for Wearable Technology

PITTSBURGH - Oct. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- Maven Machines, creators of the first smart wireless headset for driver safety, announced today they have closed on $1.5M in funding as well as strengthened ties to the industry with the announcement that Ivan Hofmann, former EVP/COO of FedEx Ground, has joined the Board of Directors.

Maven Machines' platform of enterprise wearable technology, mobile device software, and cloud services is redefining mobile capabilities for driver safety, driver communications, and regulatory compliance. "The Maven Co-Pilot™ smart headset is unique to the industry," said CEO Avi Geller. "It's easy to adopt with nothing to install in the truck and familiar to use based on the platform's mobile-cloud architecture," explained Mr. Geller. Maven aims to unlock opportunities and value through the fusion of sensors between the headset and phone and added layers of machine intelligence supported through the cloud.

Maven Machines plans to use the funds to accelerate business, manufacturing, and marketing. The company recently moved into new headquarters on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield and wasted no time spreading word of its mobile solutions for transportation by presenting at PeopleNet's In.Sight User conference in Nashville, attending the American Trucking Association's (ATA) Management Conference in Las Vegas, and coming up October 24^th in Oklahoma City, Maven will exhibit at the ATA Safety Conference.

The Maven Co-Pilot solution covers a wide range of trucker needs. The device measures driver head motion in real-time and detects activity drop-offs to provide early fatigue warnings. Additionally, the Bluetooth® headset serves as a 100% hands-free communications device. "Moving freight from point A to point B requires communication," said Mr. Geller, "however, communicating is a delicate matter in driving situations where distraction can be deadly." Maven makes communications safer and more efficient. For example, the headset uses gesture control and speech technology to convert text-based dispatch messages into speech that's read directly to the driver's ear. The driver can acknowledge simply by nodding their head so as to never remove their eyes from the road or hands from the wheel.

Also announced, Maven welcomes retired FedEx Ground EVP/COO Ivan Hofmann to its Board of Directors. "Ivan is a widely respected trucking visionary. We are grateful to have his knowledge, insight, and connections as part of the steering body of this company," said Avi. "I believe mobile technology will disrupt closed systems that rely on fixed hardware and private data centers," said Ivan Hofmann. "No other company, young or old, has a driver-facing solution that simultaneously address fleet needs and the requirements of this heavily regulated industry," added Mr. Hofmann.