Jaguar Land Rover Shows off Bike Sense Safety System

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled their new Bike Sense system which warns drivers about nearby bicycles and motorcycles. According to the company, the variety of sensors used in the car will help the system determine when a bicycle or motorcycle is approaching the car.

The system will then alert the driver by playing the sound of either a bicycle bell or motorcycle horn through the speaker. You would wonder what that is all about, well, there are two benefits. The driver will instantly know where the cyclist is coming from and whether they are riding a bike or a motorcycle.

If the cyclist is overtaking the car, the driver's seat with extended to 'tap' the driver on either the right or left shoulder to indicate the direction the cyclist is coming from. As the cyclist gets closer, a series of LED lights - on the window sills, dashboard and A-pillars - will illuminate to show the cyclist's position and proximity to the vehicle.

The system can even detect riders that the driver cannot see. When this occurs and the driver ignores the warnings and presses the accelerator, the pedal will vibrate and feel stiff to remind them about the approaching cyclist.

I know that's a lot of technology to take in at one time, but there is more. The system will also help to prevent the doors from being opened into the path of oncoming bikes when the vehicle is parked. According to JLR Director of Research and Technology, Dr Wolfgang Epple, "Bike Sense takes us beyond the current technologies of hazard indicators and icons in wing mirrors, to optimizing the location of light, sound and touch to enhance this intuition. This creates warnings that allow a faster cognitive reaction as they engage the brain's instinctive responses."

Currently in prototype, the system is being tested for road worthiness but Jaguar says this kind of technology is important because a lot of cyclists fall prey every year to road fatalities.