CES 2020 participants can “test” the Hypersport Pro superbike via virtual reality at the BlackBerry booth, where drivers can see features such as CoPilot and Shift in action.
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At CES 2020, Damon Motorcycles unveiled its limited-edition superbike, the Hypersport Pro, equipped with its CoPilot advanced warning system powered by BlackBerry QNX technology.
According to a press release on Friday, the real-time operating system of BlackBerry will form the basis for CoPilot.
SEE: Special report: Tech and the future of transport (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
Conference participants can try out the bike through a virtual reality station (VR) on BlackBerry’s booth # 7515, according to the release.
The VR experience uses a movable stationary motorcycle to simulate the functions of the motorcycle on the show floor. Riders can test the advanced warning system CoPilot, which uses radar, cameras and non-visual sensors to track the direction, speed and speed of up to 64 moving objects around the motorcycle, Jay Giraud, CEO of Damon Motorcycles.
CoPilot gives forward collision warnings due to haptic vibrations on the vehicle handles. Blind spot warnings also feature yellow LED lights on the left and right edge of the windshield. Drivers are warned of collisions from behind via bright white LED light on the edge of the windshield, Giraud said
“If you look at the forensic aspects of (motorcycle) accidents in North America, Europe and Asia, we have overlapped all data to see that they are common parallels. We saw that three-quarters of all motorcycle accidents occurred at intersections, and two- third of the accidents are caused by drivers, “said Giraud. “Although non-motorcyclists blame motorcyclists for speed or are crazy, riders are tame, well-behaved people. We are simply not seen.”
The number of motorcyclists who died in accidents has fallen slightly by 5% in recent years, but according to NHTSA it still amounted to almost 5,000 deaths in 2018. Progress in transport technology, such as the CoPilot warning system, is aimed at lowering this death toll to hold.
“We have 27x more motorcycle accidents and 5x more deaths on a motorcycle than we do,” said Giraud. “We have seen safer helmets; we have seen airbag jackets; we have seen people wearing a bright green neon jacket so that you are more visible to the driver. None of that really moves the needle. It does not matter. Drivers are still hitting the engine We wanted to put safety in the hands of the riders. ”
With the BlackBerry system, “all processing and real-time calculation, decision-making and self-healing function to restart immediately in the event of any kind of computer error. The system works flawlessly and invisibly to the driver, so all they have to do is interpret that LED light or feel in the handlebars and they can make a very quick, intuitive, evasive decision if needed, “said Giraud.
Participants can also use the virtual reality experience to test the Shift function of the bike, which allows riders to electronically adjust the riding position of the motorcycle while they are moving, Giraud added.
“Your handlebars, they telescope about four centimeters up and down. Your footrests move about two and a half centimeters. Your seat moves one and a half centimeters up and down. And the superbike’s windshield changes its angle,” said Giraud. “Effectively, if you overlapped the body positions of an upright bike, such as the Ducati Monster, with the Yamaha R1, an aggressive superbike, our bike could move in and out of both.”
At CES 2020, Damon Motorcycles unveils two versions of the superbike: the Hypersport Premier and the Hypersport HS. The Premier bike is a limited edition, with only 25 such bikes being produced. Every bike gets unique paint jobs, single-sided carbon fiber swivel arms, and improved brakes and suspension, Giraud said.
The Hypersport HS will be the regular version of the bike, with a normal swingarm and regular paint, Giraud added, but both versions of the Hypersport Pro have CoPilot and Shift options.
The performance specifications of the Hypersport bikes will be released on CES 2020 and prototypes will appear on the road in mid-2020, according to the release.
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