Honda motorcycles might receive a blind spot warning system in the not-that-distant future. The hint comes from recent patent sketches that have surfaced, indicating that House Tokyo plans to use cameras and short-range radars to detect vehicles in a motorcycle's blind spot and warn the rider about their presence.
The system appears to be an independent one, not relying on communication with other vehicles or traffic infrastructure, and this adds to its dependability. Honda is not the first manufacturer to develop such technologies for their vehicles and the BMW Side View Assist system is probably the first one that comes to mind right now.
The principle is more or less the same, with the detection process using cameras and radars to assess the presence of a vehicle in a certain zone around the bike. Basically, the cameras and the radars eliminate the need for shoulder checks in such scenarios.
Honda's system is said to be able to detect motorcycles, passenger cars, vans, trucks and other vehicles that are in the area riders can't see. Warning lights in the handlebars or dashboard will indicate the presence of a vehicle, and therefore, a potential danger in either blind spot of the bike.
Also, haptic feedback is rumored to be part of the warning system, with the alerts being set as vibrations in the corresponding grip of the bike, or other parts that are in contact with the rider's body.
There is no date as to when this system will become operational, but given the fact that BMW is already implementing theirs in production vehicles, we can estimate that Honda will not take too long until upgrading the safety-focused technologies.
It will be interesting to see what solution engineers will find for those who will use these bikes and split lanes. Though not legal in all states and countries, lane-splitting is a common practice among bikers. However, having warning lights flashing in the dash and vibrating handlebars all the time when riding between the lanes or when sharing the lane with others...
The principle is more or less the same, with the detection process using cameras and radars to assess the presence of a vehicle in a certain zone around the bike. Basically, the cameras and the radars eliminate the need for shoulder checks in such scenarios.
Honda's system is said to be able to detect motorcycles, passenger cars, vans, trucks and other vehicles that are in the area riders can't see. Warning lights in the handlebars or dashboard will indicate the presence of a vehicle, and therefore, a potential danger in either blind spot of the bike.
Also, haptic feedback is rumored to be part of the warning system, with the alerts being set as vibrations in the corresponding grip of the bike, or other parts that are in contact with the rider's body.
There is no date as to when this system will become operational, but given the fact that BMW is already implementing theirs in production vehicles, we can estimate that Honda will not take too long until upgrading the safety-focused technologies.
It will be interesting to see what solution engineers will find for those who will use these bikes and split lanes. Though not legal in all states and countries, lane-splitting is a common practice among bikers. However, having warning lights flashing in the dash and vibrating handlebars all the time when riding between the lanes or when sharing the lane with others...