German technology firm Bosch is testing new safety technology for motorcycles which could stop bikes from crashing. The technology being tested isn't new though, and is similar to the technique used by astronauts to navigate in zero gravity. The Bosch anti-slide system uses a device similar to the airbag inflator in cars to provide an external lateral force when the tyres of a motorcycle lose traction. In other words, when a bike begins to slide and fall, pressurised gas thrusters will repulse and straighten the bike.
The thrusters counteract the sliding wheel, enabling the rider to re-stabilise the bike. The gas is pushed out of the bike's thrusters, in more or less the same way as a spaceship will use its thrusters to change direction. Here, the sliding wheel is countered by the thrusting force, straightening the bike up, and giving the rider some traction to manoeuvre out of the way of disaster.
A YouTube video also demonstrates how the system works. The first part of the video shows a standard motorcycle losing traction and sliding out of control over a gravelly patch on tarmac. The second part of the video demonstrates how the gas thrusters work in stabilising the sliding bike to give the rider ample time to regain control of the motorcycle.
Watch the video here:
The only downside is that the system, just like airbags, can be used only once. Once the gas propulsion system is activated, the technology will have to re-installed again, and it will have to be paid for once again. But so far, the system is still in the testing phase, so by the time an actual production system is introduced, Bosch may find a way out to make it re-usable.
