Can Radar and RFID Stop Drivers From Killing Cyclists?

Last month , London touch a grim milestone : Six cyclist were killed within 14 mean solar day , sparking a massive “ die - in ” protestation . London is n’t alone ; 176 cyclists or pedestrianswere down in NYClast year . The quickly develop death cost is spurring a wash to progress a technology to warn driver before they hit someone on pes or bike .

A protest in London this calendar month . Image : Getty / Peter Macdiarmid .

It ’s a sad job . As The Guardian notes , the majority of deaths arecaused by truck drivers , quoting statistic that show trucks are involve in more than half of cycling death but only report for five percent of road dealings . like numbers have rightful stateside .

Now , Transport for London — akin to the Department of Transit in New York — is essay three systems that are project to issue warnings to driver who might not see a bicyclist or walker in the path of their vehicle . Each is different , though a common goal is to admonish drivers of cyclists in their blind spots — peculiarly when it come to the dreaded left over turn , which has played a role in many of the recent deaths . We took a confining look to find how what exactly these system do .

CycleEye

A one - class - old engineering firm in Bristol calledFusion Processingmakes a product calledCycleEye ™ that apply stimulant from cameras and radar mount on bus , design to record datum within six foot of the each side of the fomite .

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The data point is pulled through a “ detective work algorithmic rule ” that , according to Fusion , makes it potential to detect the only bicycler against a muckle of trees , weather , and moving cars . Then , it alerts the gadget driver to the peril . “ This not only concentrate fictive qui vive , but reduces the cognitive load on a busy driver , enabling a faster response in potentially critical situations , in turn providing a more efficient detector , ” the company excuse .

Safety Shield

Then there’sSafety Shield Systems , a company that ’s using the same technology to fleck bicyclist and walker that ego - drive gondola use on the road . The proprietary technical school was developed by the Israeli companyMobileye , which use television inputs and move sensors .

But Safety Shield uses the data point to warn drivers rather than steer the car . It does this in two fashion : First , via a headway - up gore that register where the cyclist is , and then , through a “ critical ” audio warning if a hit is imminent .

Cycle Alert

Finally , The Guardian point toCycle Alert , a system that requires bicyclist to attach a low RFID tatter on their cycle . The shred is movement - activate , so when you grab your helmet or bike , it get it on to start sending out wireless - frequency electromagnetic playing area . Then , buses and trucks meet with the appropriate receptors would intercept them at certain aloofness , and warn the driver when a bicycler is too tight .

The problem with the RFID solution , patently , is that it would demand every single bike in the metropolis be match with the tag — and it does n’t do much for walker . On the other hand , it would be sluttish to apply technical solution like these as a crutch , when in reality , it ’ll believably take a mixture of tech and round-eyed cause — breeding andoutreach — to fix the job .

London ’s test will continue into next year , and it seems in no great boot to choose a blanket result for the problem . That ’s sensible — jumping into a hardware - heavy program too before long could actually end up making a tense civic situation spoilt if it malfunctions . But it ’s heartening to suppose a future where microwave radar and tuner frequency tech , originally spring up to guide planes and trucks through the Earth , are reappropriated to protect humans , too . [ The Guardian ]

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