Intelligent bikes get a boost

Yamaha, BMW Motorrad and Honda have announced that they’ve entered a join agreement to accelerate the development of intelligent bikes – with a view to connecting all road users in a bid to reduce road collisions.

The Connected Motorcycle Consortium, as they’ve called themselves, will focus on sharing information and technology to get Cooperative-Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) applications onto powered two-wheelers by 2020, and they’re encouraging others to do so too.

“In order to speed up more motorcycle-specific safety developments, we intend to cooperate to promote a successful implementation of C-ITS in motorcycles and scooters,” said Honda’s Tetsuo Suzuki. “Our companies are already active members of the Car2Car Communication Consortium, in which we work with car and truck makers and other stakeholders on common specifications and standards. We came to realize that the specific requirements of motorcycles are beyond the scope of this consortium, however. The next logical step is to enter into a cooperation dedicated solely to the challenges relating to powered two-wheelers,” added Takaaki Kimura, of Yamaha.

“Our aim is to promote a timely and comprehensive use of cooperative ITS systems in powered-two wheelers offering the potential to improve safety. We therefore encourage other companies to join us,” said Prof. Dr. Karl Viktor Schaller, of BMW Motorrad.

ITS technologies offer the potential to further increase safety, security and efficiency in all transport systems, in particular for motorcycles. They require the integration of information and communications technology including transport infrastructure, vehicles and users. Basic applications currently exist in GPS navigation systems, where real-time traffic information is provided such as rerouting advice based on traffic jams ahead. For road transport in particular, interoperable networked wireless communication between vehicles can enable road users to make coordinated and informed decisions about their route as well as allowing safer manoeuvring in busy urban environments.

Effectively this could mean that while that driver who is too busy updating their social media status to bother to look where they’re going “didn’t see you, mate,” their car/lorry/bus, did – averting the accident you never had.