Cardo to the rescue | New premium intercom has got your back in an emergency with auto crash detection

Intercom units aren’t exactly the first thing that springs to mind when you think about motorcycle safety items, but Cardo are looking to change that.  

• We’ve tested it! Read our full Cardo Packtalk Pro review

In a world where our riding lives are festooned with tech designed to keep you upright, protected and connected, Cardo are offering their own take on rider safety, designing an intercom system that can detect when you’ve had a spill and summon the cavalry for assistance.  

Using your head

The brand’s new Packtalk Pro promises to be able to sense when things have gone awry by using a three-part crash detection system. In Cardo’s words: “The unit sensors feel what your head feels, saving valuable response time when it’s needed most.”  

Cardo CEO Alon Lumbroso said: “The Packtalk Pro is the most advanced communication device we’ve developed in our history. The introduction of crash detection and emergency alerts arms riders with a heightened level of security, taking what is already the most advanced and feature-rich system on the market and elevating it to a new level.” 

By maintaining a connection with the Cardo Connect app, the system is able to use accelerometers in both the headset itself and your mobile device. Working in unison, these are then able to provide constant data monitoring.  

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Emergency detected

If crash parameters are met, your pre-set emergency contacts will be informed via the Cardo cloud system. The obvious drawback here being that a mobile data connection is needed to send the distress call.  

This limitation notwithstanding, if you do find yourself making an unintended detour from the road, your loved ones should be able to send help, even if you aren’t in a fit state to make the call for yourself.  

Should you suffer a prang but find yourself not in need of rescue, you can cancel the message before Thunderbird Two appears to scoop you up, meaning your loved ones aren’t left worrying every time you misjudge a U-turn and end up inadvertently horizontal.  

Constantly learning

Cardo says the Crash detection system works on a constantly evolving “perpetual learning algorithm”. In human speak, this means that that data from real world riders provides constant updates, which should make it even more effective as the technology becomes more widely used. 

The new Packtalk is clearly an effective ‘worst case scenario’ safety net, but that’s not all. Cardo’s new flagship comes with all the finest goodies the intercom world has to offer, including the very best of everything available from the previous model – all of which is now featured as standard on this new Pro version. 

That means you get 48mm JBL speakers, the magnetic Air Mount from the Packtalk Edge, Dynamic Mesh connectivity, FM radio and Natural Voice Operation, as well as a sleek new look. 

Want one? That’ll be £405 – per headset, with units expected to be available by mid-June. 

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