Intelligent Evoke ARC Safety System Warns When A Rider Is Down

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When it comes to safety and security features, motorcycle riders are at a disadvantage against multi-ton cars. This is especially true when it comes to dealing with particularly space-challenged drivers. Evoke Motorcycles recently introduced an intelligent smart crash system that could add enough extra safety for motorcyclists to save lives.

Intelligent Evoke ARC Warns When A Rider Is Down

Evoke ARC Safety SystemMotorcycle safety is a serious concern, and not stressed enough within car driver’s license training. There is only so much a rider can carry to cushion their fall. There’s also very little that can be done to avoid mindless drivers. Vigilance, and wearing whatever extra protective motorcycle gear is available, are all you can do. And don’t get us started — there are mindless motorcycle riders out there too. Fact acknowledged.

What can technology add to this?

The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers’ (ACEM) came out with a paper for an eCall system with L-category vehicles. eCall devices are safety systems that can raise a riders’ safety beyond the normal preventive safety systems. So far the current research trend for future deployment focuses on vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) safety applications. The European paper calls for standards to be adopted.

Evoke ARC Safety System

Part of a 2013 initiative, the motorcycle industry joined the I_HeERO project which aims to implement an emergency call or “eCall” solution to improve road safety in Europe through Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). You can download the PDF version of the paper here.

In a nutshell, the Evoke ARC system, which the Evoke engineering team originally called the Automatic Response Center (ARC), detects when a rider is down and automatically sends a pre-programmed message to a phone number with the GPS coordinates of the rider and its bike. It is essentially an Automatic Call Response System that makes it easier to act quickly in case of emergency.

We’ve been told by Evoke that its e-morotcycles are designed with smart technology and safety in mind. The Automatic Call Response system is something the company has been trying to integrate for a couple of years. It’s funny to think that it is already a common safety feature in cars and good to hear that Evoke aims to be the first motorcycle OEM to include this in its production models. The company will eventually integrate the ARC system so that the emergency call goes directly to local emergency services and public safety answering points.

According to Conor McRae of Evoke’s business development department: “The goal of Evoke’s ARC system is to give its riders peace of mind, knowing that they have an extra safety net if they come into difficulty on the road.”

Evoke also introduced other features with its ARC idea. The Evoke ARC also works when the motorcycle is turned off. It will send a message if it detects the motorcycle has fallen over. This acts as an anti-theft/anti-vandalism feature.

Beefing Up Motorcycle Safety Is Still Very Critical

One of the latest security and safety features is a clam-like helmet that opens and closes with a hinge on top of the helmet. What this means is that in case of a serious accident, first responders don’t have to crack open a helmet. They can use a special key that opens it up much as you would a clam or oyster. Another promising more or less new safety feature is that of inflatable airbags with the jacket and pants of the rider. Yes, it’s still being talked about after decades of toying with the idea.

Still, the best safety measures today are protective shells for the backbone, shoulders, elbows, and knees. Good motorcycle riding shoes with reinforced ankles and toe protection, as well as smart, ideally reinforced gloves, are also available. Sadly, those can’t always save lives. Motorcycle safety has dramatically improved over the years, but there is room for improvements. We hope manufacturers will continue to use technology to develop more safety features for motorcycles.

Evoke ARC Safety System

Source: Electric Motorcycles.


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Nicolas Zart

Nicolas was born and raised around classic cars of the 1920s, but it wasn't until he drove an AC Propulsion eBox and a Tesla Roadster that the light went on. Ever since he has produced green mobility content on various CleanTech outlets since 2007 and found his home on CleanTechnica. He grew up in an international environment and his communication passion led to cover electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, renewable energy, test drives, podcasts, shoot pictures, and film for various international outlets in print and online. Nicolas offers an in-depth look at the e-mobility world through interviews and the many contacts he has forged in those industries. His favorite taglines are: "There are more solutions than obstacles." and "Yesterday's Future Now"

Nicolas Zart has 572 posts and counting. See all posts by Nicolas Zart