Many know Bosch for its safety solutions in cars but the German firm is also leading the way in motorcycle safety technology, or what it terms “Mobility Solutions.” Acknowledging motorcyclists are probably the most vulnerable of road users by population size, Bosch is developing safety technology for two-wheelers to decrease the possibility of accidents.
One of these pieces of high-tech kit is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) which adjusts vehicle speed to the flow of traffic while maintaining a safe stopping distance. Much like the system found in four-wheelers, ACC for motorcycles allows the rider to focus attention on the road, especially in dense traffic conditions.
In the encounter between a car and a motorcycle, the bike always comes worse off. This is dictated by physics. Bosch’s collision warning system alleviates this by sensing when another vehicle is dangerously close and if the rider does not take evasive action, warning is given via an optical or acoustic signal.
More and more cars come with blind spot warning systems and the same technology is moving into two-wheelers. A radar sensor scans for surrounding vehicles when the bike is on the move, looking for objects in the rider’s blind spot and giving a warning when necessary.
Several companies are coming up with vehicle-to-vehicle (V-to-V) communications systems although there has been no mandate from manufacturers or authorities to make such technology compulsory. However, Bosch is forging ahead with its own version of V-to-V for motorcycles, designed to function as a digital shield.
Using the ITS G5 public WLAN standard, vehicles within a radius of several hundred meters exchange information about vehicle type, speed, position, and direction of travel. This allows vehicles to warn each other of approaching vehicles, allow for defensive driving and better anticipation of potential collisions.
A potential life saver in Bosch’s arsenal of motorcycle technology is eCall which transmits an emergency call when it senses the rider is involved in a crash. For non-emergency situations such as breakdowns or accidents without injury, eCall independently calls a repair centre and sends necessary data for a rescue.
Sursa: paultan.org