Aegis Rider augmented reality assistance

[advrider]

Riding an unfamiliar road, approaching a blind corner, a motorcycle rider has very little in the way of a safety net should things go wrong. To some, this is part of the appeal of motorcycles, but the reality is, single-vehicle bike accidents in situations like this are far more likely to result in a fatality when compared to cars in the same circumstances. Of course, the metal cage around the driver and the considerably larger contact patch area of rubber accounts for some of the extra safety that automobiles enjoy, but modern four-wheelers also employ far more advanced safety systems than current motorcycle offerings. Aegis Rider plans on changing this, bringing new levels of safety technology to the two-wheeler.

Aegis Rider began as a research project at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, as the brainchild of a trio of researchers and engineers with a passion for bikes. The team looked at the significantly higher fatality rate for motorcyclists compared to cars, and looked to reduce the risks for riders using data gathering, machine learning, and an advanced display system.

Photo: Aegis Rider Technology

The system, as it currently stands, consists of a sensor suite to gather data, a computer to interpret the data, and a display to communicate the interpreted data to the rider. The sensor suite combines cameras, GPS data gathering, and an IMU. The computer takes this data and utilizes advanced programming, machine learning, and “scene understanding” to determine “real-time optimal trajectory prediction”.

The display, or “visualization system”, consists of augmented reality glasses, along with sensors that track head position and eye tracking to know which way the rider’s head is pointed and where their eyes are looking.

Photo: Aegis Rider Display

The end result is a display that can present the rider with the safest and “optimal” trajectory through a curve. The display will show optimal speed, bank angle, line, and lane position, much like many video games do. A YouTube video on the Aegis Rider website shows the prototype in action.

The company plans to bring their ideas to market, although details are thin on whether this will be a product offered by OEMs, or an aftermarket addition to existing motorcycles. Whichever route it goes, this tech shows that the future of motorcycling increasingly seems to be aimed at building safety, not building speed.

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