There’s nothing new about crash detection systems, but a fresh version recently patented by Honda could take them to a new level of sophistication – Honda is developing a system that can tell whether or not you are injured, and call for help.

Current systems, such as that offered by Triumph, will automatically make the call if sensors on the bike or on your phone detect a crash. Honda’s new system adds a Bluetooth headset to the helmet, working in conjunction with the bike sensors and the rider’s phone to obtain a more accurate picture of what’s happened, and whether you really do need help.

It uses Bluetooth signals between headset, sensors and phone to detect their relative positions. So if your helmet is still positioned above your phone and the bike, it’s likely that you are upright and probably OK. If the helmet and/or phone are trapped under the bike, or are both on the ground and not moving, that’s more serious. The same if, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, your helmet appears to have come off. When making its assessment, the system will even take into account the bike’s speed immediately prior to the crash.

Honda’s system will be able to know if the bike and rider are upright and therefore determine that there isn’t an issue	In this scenario, the system would recognize that the bike is down but that the rider is upright determined by the relationship between the helmet communication system, the smartphone, and the bike	In this case, the system would understand that the helmet and phone are adjacent to each other, but on the ground. It would then likely determine if it should call for help

Before making the automatic call to emergency services, the rider’s phone is notified, so that they can cancel the call if things aren’t that bad. Otherwise, the call goes through and help should be on the way – a comforting thought if you’re trapped under a bike leaking fuel, on your own.

Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF, said: “Honda does E-call for bikes. We’ve been watching the development of these systems for some years now, one of the problems with bikes was the separation of the bike and rider, which this system seems to address. If I was lying in a ditch somewhere, yards from my bike, this would be something I’d want to have .”

Written by Peter Henshaw

All images courtesy of Honda