Forget about Batman vs Superman - if you want to witness a clash of untold forces, head to the centre of your nearest city, find a busy junction and wait for the inevitable showing of Cyclist vs Driver. Thanks to a new smart helmet, it's a conflict that might finally be about to end.
Building on a heritage of life-saving inventions (including the three-point seat belt), Volvo has invented a cycling helmet that can communicate with cars, notifying them of a cyclist's position.
In a collaboration with sports gear manufacturer POC and Ericsson, the car manufacturer has harnessed connected car technology (the sort of stuff that helps you with auto-breaking and find your nearest McDonalds) to establish two-way communication with cyclists in the form of an app and smart helmet prototype.
Using a smartphone cycling app, the cyclist’s position can be shared through cloud computing to all nearby connected smart cars. If the system fears a collision is likely, both road users will be warned, deploying other smart-tech such as collision avoidance systems and auto-breaking. Volvo drivers will be alerted to nearby bikes through a head-up display alert, highlighting the bike's position to the driver and eliminating blind spots. The helmet also warns the wearer of rapidly approaching cars with an alert light.
While it clearly won't eliminate all bike accidents, the system could help cut down on accidents caused by blind spots and poor visibility. At least it'll get rid of the lame excuse of "I didn't see you mate".
