Ford, bike makers unveil bike-to-vehicle (B2V) interactive road safety A.I.

Ford has joined Trek, Shimano, Specialized, and eight other bike-industry giants to develop A.I. for bike-to-vehicle (B2V) communications, with the goal of improved safety. Cars, bikes, trucks, bike lanes, and roadway infrastructure would connect using the cross-industry B2V standard.

Ford, Trek, and software company Tome started working on the B2V concept almost a year ago. Ten major bike-industry companies joined the three originators to form an executive advisory board. The connectivity technology goal is greater roadway safety for all, including bikes, pedestrians, and vehicles.

The bike companies on the B2V board are Accell North America (Redline, Raleigh, Diamondback, Torker, Haibike, XLC), Bosch, Dorel Sports (Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Fabric, Sugoi, Mongoose, Guru, Charge, Sombrio), Giant Bicycles, Orbea, Shimano, Specialized, SRAM, Stages Cycling, Trek Bikes, and Quality Bicycle Products.

Jim Holland, Ford Motor Company vice president of vehicle components and systems engineering, said, “Bicycle and automotive safety innovation extend beyond any single company, city or technology. In the City of Tomorrow, a mobility system will see all modes of transportation speaking a common language and working together.”

“Assembling this advisory board of industry leaders and business competitors underscores how important the work to get there is and highlights the support and organization that will be needed to set the cross-industry standards for years to come,” Holland continued.

Tome’s B2V system focuses on driver alerts to reduce the incidence of bicycle-vehicle collisions. Top-level A.I. processes identify the most dangerous situations based on time, location, and environmental variables. The system alerts B2V-connected vehicles and cyclists at high risk.

“Tome engineers have focused their efforts on mapping and infrastructure, using artificial intelligence to evaluate and identify safety measures at specific vulnerable roadway locations, and are working with automotive industry engineers and smart city stakeholders to develop industry standards, like C-V2X, that work to keep cyclists safe on the road,” Tome said in its B2V advisory board announcement.

Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) is the superset system vehicle manufacturers are developing for connected cars. B2V co-exists within C-V2X.

Getting down to B2V basics for bikes, Bike Radar stressed the hope that manufacturers would build B2V sensors and transceivers into new bikes in a “seamless, elegant manner.” Non-electric bikes would need alternate power sources such as batteries or, potentially, rider-powered rim dynamos.