SOS or emergency signal systems are not new in the industry with some brands like BMW fielding their very own system into its bikes. Even some aftermarket marques are throwing their hats in the ring to save lives.
Suzuki, meanwhile, is working on its very own system that ties in with the ECU and inertial sensors to detect and assess a crash. On top of that, the patent also details the mechanism of injury imparted on the rider by the crash via a pair of sensors that integrate into the rider's body. The sensors will determine whether the rider’s on his feet or on the ground and the position of his or her body post-accident. If the rider’s up and about after the crash or standing up, then the system won’t flag the accident as severe, though a rider lying down on the ground is a red flag that carries more risk, which the system can detect.
In addition to the body sensors, Suzuki is also using the key of the bike to detect how far the rider is from the bike should a crash occur. If a rider is far away from the bike, then it will assume that the crash was quite severe. The SOS system will also tell the emergency services how far the rider was thrown off his steed, and respond in tow.
This new development assumes that the rider will don his special boots with the sensors. The motorcycle’s key is the motorcycle’s key and you can start the bike without it so it makes quite a bit of sense, and the only catch is that the rider must keep the key in his pocket. Meanwhile, you can change gear whenever you like. There are no such shoes, jackets, or pants with sensors out in the market just yet, and without them, the system loses out on a valuable layer of information. There are a few limitations now, but the concept will help save precious seconds to minutes for emergency response teams to take care of a patient. As of now, this patent is still just a patent, it’ll be interesting to see Suzuki implement his invention on any number of its motorcycle models in the future and beyond. Perhaps the system is best suited for sport and adventure tourers like the VStrom or any other of Suzuki’s more premium offerings.
