Motorbikes 'to get safe driving aids'

The safety systems created a "bubble" of awareness around a rider

Motorbikes could soon be sporting collision detection and other safety features more usually found on cars.

Research is testing ways to put these systems on motor bikes and how best to alert riders to dangers on the road.

The systems tested include warnings about speed limits, the tightness of road bends and information about other vehicles to aid lane-changing.

The first bike-based safety systems could be appearing on motorbikes within two years, say researchers.

Proof of concept tests on the Saferider systems, as they are known, have been carried out in simulators and on road bikes by Mira (formerly known as the Motor Industry Research Association), which acts as a testing and innovation centre for carmakers.

"Saferider takes the driver safety systems that are becoming standard on cars and tries to adapt them to the unique needs of motorcyclists," said Jonathan Moore, an ITS consultant at Mira, involved in the Saferider project.

Statistics gathered by Mira suggest that about 22% of all road accident fatalities involve bike riders and it is the only mode of transport which is seeing a rise in the number of deaths.

Mr Moore said making safety systems on motorbikes useful was "challenging" because of all the distractions to which riders were subjected.

"One of the most difficult things is getting the rider's attention," he said. "There's a high level of ambient noise and vibration to deal with and we really don't want motorcycle riders looking down at the handlebars any more than they need to."

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The Saferider system allows motorcyclists to send SOS alerts and warns of potential hazards. Video provided by engineering consultancy Mira on behalf of Saferider.

Bubble wrap

Mira has been investigating how to use haptic, tactile feedback systems to safely get the attention of riders and warn them about other vehicles, prepare them for the road ahead or give help at junctions.

Mira engineers outfitted a Yamaha Tenere and a Triumph Sprint with the safety systems so they could be tried out on a test track.

The systems include laser scanners, haptic handles and gloves, a vibrating seat, lights, smart helmet-cameras and radar as well as a pannier full of the electronics that analyse data gathered by the sensors and pump out warnings.

One system tested works out if riders are travelling too fast to negotiate upcoming bends. Mira has developed software that acts as a "co-pilot" which, with the help of a digital map, knows what speed they should be travelling to make it round a bend.

"One system under test based around radar constantly monitors the blind spots around and behind riders," said Mr Moore. "Vehicles behind or to one side of a bike can be hard to spot because the helmet restricts visibility and riders must remember to move their head regularly to check."

"We put a motor in the cheek pad of the helmet so if you do not notice the object it will vibrate and give you a tactile warning that there's something to the right or left," said Mr Moore.

The system can also help give a rider information about traffic further behind in adjoining lanes to help with overtaking or lane-changing.

Motorbike collision detection systems developed by Mira warn a rider about an imminent impact and let them take action by slowing down sharply or, in the case of a vehicle travelling in the same direction as the bike, following it while slowing.

The safety systems could be a boon to less experienced bike riders.

"They do not give the attention to the road they should or have the experience to deal with problems," said Mr Moore.

The prototypes demonstrated by Mira showed it was feasible to fit such safety systems on motorbikes, said Mr Moore. He speculated that manufacturers would start to put them on bikes within the next 18 months to two years.

Saferider is a collaborative R&D effort that is part of the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme. Participants include Mira, Yamaha, Porsche Engineering and Fema, among others.

Article from the BBC

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Motorbike helmet that lets you see road behind

Brit device that saves lives

A motorcycle helmet which gives riders eyes in the back of their head is set to transform road safety in Britain.

The Reevu MSX1 Helmet contains a tiny mirror in the top of the visor which allows the rider to see behind him.

The device uses technology which was originally developed in order to transmit messages to submerged oil rig divers.

The helmet has so far saved the lives of hundreds of customers, who have since written to the Sunderland-based company to express their thanks.

Engineer Graham Steele, 48, worked on the original technology in the late-1980s, which used pagers inside divers' helmets to prevent accidents in the North Sea.

He had to create a screen which was easy to read when it was close to the wearer's eyes.

Reevu chief executive Graham, who invented the helmet, said: "In the 80s there were a lot of divers being killed in the North Sea because at the depths they were working, it was difficult to pass them information. Pager technology was all the rage back then and the idea was to make a small LCD screen inside the helmet on which the divers could read messages.

"But if you hold a screen very close to your eyes, you can't see it - the focal length between your eye and the thing is too short. But one day I was in my workshop and had a Eureka moment."

Motorbike enthusiast Graham said: "I realised that even though you might not be able to see a screen when it is it close to your eyes, you can see it clearly if it is reflected onto a mirrored surface from behind you. We realised we had a brilliant idea for a motorbike helmet."

The top of the helmet liner is sculpted so the rider can see behind simply by glancing up into the rear-view mirror. The rider is more aware of his surroundings through peripheral vision.

Since ordinary motorbike helmets restrict both the wearer's hearing and field of vision, it is thought they have already prevented hundreds of accidents.

The Reevu helmet is available direct from the manufacturer and retails at around £249.

VIEW IN FRONT

Bikers can switch between looking at road ahead and the mirror

MIRROR VIEW

Tiny device reflects the view of the road behind like a car rear-view mirror

VIEW BEHIND

Technology used by North Sea divers was the helmet's inspiration

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Anyone need assistance?

Here at UKBike Towers, we enjoy pouring over all the various model launches and new bike gadgetry as they appear on the web. But sometimes we just want to read about what it is to be a biker. So we had a little recruitment drive when the blog was launched back in September, looking for riders who could put their biking experiences into fine words. Today we feature an article from Mike, a UKBike forum regular with years of biking experience.

If you fancy putting your bike-related thoughts into words for this blog, then please drop us a line at tom@ukbike.com.



Anyone need assistance?

The weather, over the last few days, has been pretty grim. Rain, and lots of it, high winds, waterlogged leaves everywhere: a typically British autumn (and winter, spring and summer, come to that...). But it's been fun being out there on the road, adjusting to the conditions, starting to dial in to the changes in feel and grip. It's a good time of year, in my opinion: suited to a relaxed and smoother type of riding, every bit as satisfying to get right as the frantic speed of a sunny thrash, but in a different, more controlled way. Kit has come a long way: waterproofs can be worthy of the name, warmth is possible – even in the depths of winter – and with that comfort available, there is no reason not to get on and enjoy it.

That isn't, however, the point. I've been riding all year round, every year, for the best part of two decades now and would be anyway even if still meant being cold, damp and miserable to do so. No: what I was thinking about was the welter of new rider assistance technologies, either in production or under development, and what difference they would make if I had any or all of them fitted to my bike.

I don't claim to have any special riding abilities. Over the years, quite naturally, I've learned roadcraft and machine control, gained experience and awareness, developed feel and understanding for the dynamics of being on two wheels. In measurable terms, I have no idea how "good" a rider that makes me, but I am at least comfortable with what I can – and can't, or don't want to – do on a motorcycle. It is an understanding of what the limits are, whether they originate from me, from the road or from the bike – and in all honesty, in real-world situations, it isn't the potential of the machine that often sets those limits.

Over the years, bike design has been refined continuously, if not particularly radically, to reach a point where most of the available models are reliable, stable and capable out of the box. We have engines that don't hand-grenade, frames that don't bend in the middle, working suspension, brakes which stop and tyres which grip. All of which are quite welcome developments, not least because they leave the fundamental relationship between rider and bike intact: a relationship where the machine obeys the rider's instructions. If those instructions are wrong, or exceed the mechanical limits of possibility, or even overwhelm the rider's own capabilities, then the machine still obeys them. That is why riding a bike requires skill and judgement and rewards the constant improvement of those abilities. It is a pure form of freedom, where a rider accepts both responsibility and consequences for their actions and earns every moment of pleasure that comes from getting it right.

Electronics, though, are a different matter. In many respects, it is an insidious form of marketing to describe them as safety aids or rider assists when they actually do neither. In fact, they overrule. They have to: this isn't the Matrix and the technology isn't a sophisticated augmentation of human abilities. What it is, simply, is the interception of the rider's input. If that input is deemed to fall within acceptable thresholds, it will be passed through, if not, it will be replaced by whatever the device in question is programmed to consider safe. Philosophically, that represents a huge shift in the bike-rider relationship – one in which the rider is only allowed control over aspects which the machine permits – even if, technically, at this early stage it appears a relatively minor change.

The obvious consequence of this shift is that the rider will be required to maintain fewer skills, at a lower level, to achieve the same, or higher, level of machine performance. That may sound like an attractive prospect, but is it, really? Look closely at what is on offer – easier, faster and safer – and then at the price being asked – acceptance that electronics can and should be used in preference to human skills. It is a very Faustian bargain: once taken, that acceptance cannot be retracted. Implicit in that is that the craftsmanship of riding can be devalued, reduced to the lowest common denominator. That motorcycling can be treated like any other activity, de-risked, de-skilled and marketed to the masses as just another lifestyle choice.

It won't happen yet – the technologies are still immature and crude – but take a look at the more advanced parallels of the car industry. Better, faster, shinier, laden with gadgets to relieve the driver of the burdens of being able to drive, or observe, navigate, steer or even park. And look at the results: an increasingly large number of car users who not only lack the skills to drive properly, but are so insulated from their vehicle's actual workings that they have no way to even learn those skills. Ironically, of course, risk compensation does mean that, despite the increased safety measures, levels of recklessness actually increase even when the person taking the risks is significantly less equipped to deal with the consequences.

So, out there in the rain and wind and darkness, I was wondering: would I like to be able to simply open the throttle wide, knowing that fly-by-wire would moderate it and traction control would find me some grip? Would I like to be able to grab the brakes as hard as I can and let ABS stop me crashing? Would it be nice to flick a switch and set my engine to a manageable level of horsepower? How about having a V2V Bluetooth phone call to warn me every time there was danger nearby? Satnav to dictate the best way home? Would I be faster as a result? Possibly. Would I be happier?

No.

I can already control all of those things. I have working senses, a brain, and some semblance of control over my limbs. My bike has a throttle that works both ways and a level of mechanical capability that is more than equal to the conditions. As the weather's bad and the road is slippery, all I really need to do is observe more carefully, exercise some additional moderation and enjoy the ride. My ride.

A better headlight would be nice, though.

Please feel free to challenge any of my points or assumptions - you can usually find me posting in the forum section if anyone is interested in entering into more of a debate on the subject.

- Mike Liassides a.k.a. endemoniada_88

Honda announce "life saving" GPS technology

At the Car2Car Communication Consortium event in Dudenhofen, Germany, Honda have revealed a biker safety initiative that uses GPS data to warn riders and drivers about potential collisions, allowing time to react.

The design of this safety system was heavily inspired by the EU-backed Motorcycle Accident In-Depth Study (MAIDS), which found that 35% of motorbike accidents were collisions at intersections and right-turn collisions (left-turn in continental Europe and the US).

Eight vehicle manufacturers have participated in the technology, known as Vehicle To Vehicle (V2V). Using on-board V2V technology, bikes and cars can constantly swap GPS information including position, direction and vehicle dynamics. This allows riders to be alerted of potential danger either by an indicator display or an in-helmet audio warning sent via Bluetooth; likewise, car drivers can receive alerts on their navigation system displays.

Honda have a strong reputation for innovation in bike safety, having launched the first motorbike airbag in 2006, as well as announcing electronically-controlled Combined ABS for the SuperSport range earlier this year.

Superstitions can kill you

The UKBike Blog is always on the prowl for bikers who are willing and able to put their bike experiences into words as regular guest writers. We have a few riders on board already but the more the merrier! If you are interested in submitting articles or would like to know more about the blog, please get in touch - the e-mail address is tom@ukbike.com.

Our first guest article comes via Malcolm Palmer, a motorbike instructor based in Newbury, Berkshire. Malcolm runs his own blog that specialises in rider safety and the latest news, which is well worth a read.

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Superstitions can kill you

A colleague recently asked me whether I'm superstitious? Simple answer: 'No'.

That's "No, not in the 'Friday the 13th' sense" - and I certainly don't believe that stepping on the cracks in the pavement will allow the monsters to get me (well, not recently...).

But there are superstitions which make sense. Walking under a ladder, for instance, can be unlucky for you if the person 'upstairs' drops their hammer... so some superstitions are a bit like stereotypes and cliches - there may be some 'real' reason or 'truth' behind the belief.

Similarly, superstitions are often supposed to involve 'luck' - but it can be possible to swing that luck in your favour. I don't walk under a ladder unless I've looked 'up' first - and from some way back. Indeed, a friend says there are two types of luck: good and bad.

Many riders believe they're 'unlucky' when they're involved in crashes - but I can't help wondering whether they've relied on 'luck' rather than choosing which luck they'll rely on - like the quick check up before walking under that ladder. Indeed, the way some riders rely on racing leathers and a bright headlamp to keep them 'safe' you'd think they've discovered the biking equivalent of a 'lucky' rabbit foot - and they were never lucky for the rabbit...

Biking has its cliches and stereotypes as well as talismans, as riders tend to have the same basic types of crash again and again:
- Junctions: the well-known 'SMIDSY', or RoWV (Right of Way Violation)
- Corners: usually crashing at speeds where the bike could have got around, but the rider failed to achieve it
- Overtaking: often passing a group of vehicles in one move, without checking 'why' the group is moving slowly

None of these types of crash are big secrets. Indeed, there are even more detailed 'cliche' bike crashes that continue to catch riders out - the 'taxi does a U-turn' is a classic example.

So if riders have the same types of crash, over and over, involving the same basic situations, why is there surprise that the crash has happened, why are they considered 'bad luck'?

More importantly: why don't riders take the effort to reduce their reliance on good luck? By looking at the situations you're riding towards, and then either influencing the situation, or altering the way you react to it, you can change the 'luck' and put it in your favour.

Let's change the wording, rather than 'luck', let's use a more 'modern' set of terms: Why doesn't the rider use 'Risk Assessment' and 'Risk Management'? Look at the road ahead, and start to take control - rather than sitting and waiting to see what happens. Instead of trusting to good or bad luck, use another more modern term: change from 'reactive' to 'pro-active'.

Each of the three main types of bike crash has its own details, its own clues, and likely effects on the rider.
- SMIDSY crashes are more likely to be urban, at slower speeds, and involve injury more than death.
- Cornering crashes are more often 'rural', at higher speeds, and more like to be fatal.
- Overtaking is usually rural, and at very high speed.

Although all three have different build-up - often by a very simple sequence of seemingly minor decisions - there are ways in which a rider can think about the situation ahead.

There are two simple questions to ask which give a good idea of this:
- "How can that affect me?"
- "What if that happens?"

In traditional 'Roadcraft' terms, this is using 'Observation Links': finding a small detail, a clue, and using it to 'link' to a likely outcome. This is hazard perception, but not in the form used within the DSA's Hazard Perception Test where you're marked only on reacting to 'developing hazards' (where you must change speed or direction), instead we're looking at risks, seeing potential danger before you must take urgent action.

Of course, it isn't really as simple as 'pro-active versus reactive', it's more a matter of reacting sooner to a hint of a problem, rather than waiting for it to develop. Often your only 'early reaction' will be to notice a potential problem then keep an eye on it in case it worsens.

Then there's the extra mental step of looking for problems where they don't exist (or, at least, can't be seen). Here you're using guesswork or imagination to create a mental picture of problems likely to occur. In an odd way, you move from superstition to fortune-telling and looking in to the future! Of course, this is not so much 'end of the pier palmistry' as informed decisions.

Essentially, you're looking and planning for possibilities from 'clear, straight, road' to 'narrow, blind bend with oncoming vehicle', depending on what you can see ahead, and what your imagination tells you. In 'old Roadcraft' terms:
- What can be seen
- What can't be seen
- What can reasonably be expected to happen

Having an idea, imagined or otherwise, of what you're about to meet allows you to plan a response - or range of them. This pre-planning reduces your reaction time if something does happen, and can help avoid panic reactions.

This might seem a doom-laden, down-beat, way of thinking about your riding. Well, perhaps it is. I call it 'being a happy pessamist'! If nothing you've planned for happens, then you continue on, if something untoward does happen then it's no big deal - you already have it predicted and planned for.

Having identified actual or potential danger, there's one final action you must take, and that's to believe what you've decided enough to take notice of it! For instance: if a narrow bend has a limited view it's reasonable to expect oncoming traffic. In fact, it's more than 'reasonable' - it's essential to think like that if you wish to avoid becoming a bonnet mascot! If you've decided that, what are you going to do about it? Your planning must allow for stopping within - at most - half the distance you can see is clear, and being prepared to stop if necessary.

I used the term 'essential' to expect oncoming vehicles, and ride with that in mind. Do you agree it's essential, or do you rely on luck? When you arrive at a blind bend, can you roll a 'six' every time?

Malcolm Palmer, September 2008