Blue City Technology

Safety in road networks with sensor-based technology

Co-founder Asad Lesani’s idea was developed after more than six years of research and development as a part of his Ph.D. thesis. Asad Lesani and Ian Boyd were passionate about the problem of traffic congestion, having experienced the frustration of time wasted during their daily routine of going from home to work. They believe there was a better way to fix this challenge in urban cities.

The team decided to launch their MVP in 2019 by deploying two sensors for the City of Montreal. It was a crucial step in testing their technology under different lighting and weather conditions, and to assess how far they can take their technology and build a viable company.

The Solution

Blue City Technology’s solution improves the safety of road networks with a real-time multi-modal traffic monitoring system based on 3D lidar technology that is non-intrusive, allowing for fast deployment and reducing costs by 30% from other pre-existing solutions. Their technology can collect all traffic data in different weather and lighting conditions. 

To increase the safety of pedestrians, their technology generates real-time detection of the road users crossing the intersection. The traffic light controller uses this information to put priority for safe crossing of pedestrians and cyclists and bring attention to upcoming vehicles.The startup also helps cities make the network safer for autonomous vehicles (AVs). The sensor sends real-time detection data at intersections to the autonomous or connected vehicles. This helps the AVs to see their blind spots better.

Their Journey

Blue City was recognized with the Canadian ITS R&D/Innovation Award and has received many grants. District 3  supported their journey from startup idea to building a company through advisor support, 1:1 coaching, global expansion support and more. They are currently expanding their client base in Canada and beyond. Select clients include Rogers, municipalities in Quebec, British Columbia, Australia and California. Blue City has also formed a partnership with the City of Kelowna, Rogers Communication, and Microsoft in the first 5G-enabled Smart City Initiative in Canada to improve safety for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. 

Blue City was recognized with the Canadian ITS R&D/Innovation Award and has received many grants. District 3 supported their journey from startup idea to building a company through advisor support, 1:1 coaching, global expansion support and more. They are currently expanding their client base in Canada and beyond. Select clients include Rogers, municipalities in Quebec, British Columbia, Australia and California. Blue City has also formed a partnership with the City of Kelowna, Rogers Communication, and Microsoft in the first 5G-enabled Smart City Initiative in Canada to improve safety for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.