The JLR Bike Sense Technology will use colour and sound specific as well as haptic alerts inside the car to alert the driver of a potential collision with a two-wheeler or bicycle.
Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled the new Bike Sense Technology research that has been designed to warn the driver about a potential collision with two-wheelers or bicycles. The new technology makes use of colour-specific, sound-specific and haptic warnings, inside the car to alert drivers about potential hazards if a two-wheeler is too close to the vehicle. The automaker states that the system is equipped with various sensors used in the car that will help it distinguish between a bicycle and a two-wheeler that is in close proximity.
Instead of using generic warning sounds or light that may go unnoticed, the Bike Sense Technology system has been designed to use lights and sounds that can be immediately associated with potential danger. If the bike is too close to the car, the technology will use the audio system to make it sound as if a bicycle bell or motorcycle horn is coming from the speaker nearest to the bike, thereby understanding the direction the bike is coming from. For example, if the bike is on the left side of the vehicle, the speaker on the left will make a motorcycle horn to alert the driver.
The bike sense technology will also tap on the left or right shoulder of the driver if a bike is coming up the road behind the car and plans to overtake. As the cyclist gets closer a series of LED lights on the window sills, dashboard and A-pillars will glow amber and turn red to show the cyclist’s proximity and position. The system also detects those riders that the driver may not see. If the driver ignores the warnings for some reason and pushes the throttle, the accelerator pedal will become stiff and vibrate to bring the cyclist to the driver’s notice.
The Bike Sense system also ensures safety when the car is parked, as the door handle will light up and vibrate if there is a danger to open the door into the path of an oncoming biker. Lastly, the system will prioritise hazards when there are several motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians around the car at the same time. JLR says that the new system creates warnings that allow faster cognitive reaction which engage the brain’s instinctive responses. The technology is a prototype and is currently being tested and could feature on future JLR models, once given the green signal.
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