New Motorcycle Technology Aims to Improve Safety

Canadian electric motorbike manufacturer Damon and American tech company BlackBerry have recently teamed up to bring a brand-new safety system to Damon’s new Hypersport Pro bike model. The new technology combines radar, cameras and telematics to create a virtual safety net around the bike and rider.

Damon CEO Jay Giraud believes that revolutionizes the motorcycle market with new and evolving technology to help draw younger riders to their products stating that, “the complacency shown by manufacturers has resulted in today’s motorcycles not meeting millennials’ generational needs.” Damon saw the perceived danger of riding as a contributing factor to the decline of motorcycle sales and chose to attack this misconception head-on in conjunction with BlackBerry’s new accident warning system for motorcycles (AWSM) known as CoPilot.

CoPilot uses a variety of sensors including radar and cameras to more accurately track and map out the bike’s speed, direction and surroundings, and process these factors to anticipate potential hazards and warn the rider accordingly via visual and haptic alerts such as vibrations. Damon has stated that they anticipate their AWSM to feature three levels:

1. Level 1 – Basic Detection: The motorcycle has sensors that allow it to see potential hazards from all sides and provide a warning to the rider.
2. Level 2 – Anticipatory: The detection systems will be capable of tracking the direction and speed of surrounding objects (vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) and anticipate their movement and possibility of crossing the rider’s path.
3. Level 3 – Critical Automation: The AWSM has the ability to understand the rider’s abilities and intent via tracking of real-time environmental and road conditions info to adjust speed and other factors to ensure the bike isn’t ridden outside the ability of the rider.

Damon has stated that a system such as CoPilot would be “ungoverned by emotional distractions or irrational reactions” allowing it to react much more quickly than any humans would be able to. They highlight that with the rise in autonomous vehicles, the motorcycle industry needs to implement systems like CoPilot to match and provide exceptional safety to those that choose to ride.

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