Suzuki’s Tunnel Vision for Motorcycles
It has been revealed recently that Suzuki has filed a patent application for a technology that would improve a motorcycle’s visibility while traveling through a tunnel.
Every biker would know that they have extremely low visibility on the roads due to the vehicle’s smaller size. Either that or car drivers like to disregard the presence of motorcycles on the roads.
(All images taken from Motorcycle .com)
And if visibility is already a problem in broad daylight, what about in a tunnel where the space is darker and more cramped? While most tunnels provide adequate lighting, Suzuki thinks that it may still not be enough for motorcyclists, and have thus come up with a solution that no one really thought they would need.
Suzuki’s tunnel vision system basically has the motorcycle project a beam of light vertically onto the tunnel’s ceiling, kind of like a spotlight or beacon sort of contraption.
It would be cool if the rider can get a choice of flashing images or words of their choice (sort of like the Bat-Signal) onto the roof as well, but I digress.
The tunnel lighting system would be mounted onto the rear of the bike, and automatically switch on once the motorcycle enters any tunnel.
The technology makes use of various sensors to detect when the motorcycle has entered a tunnel before checking for any vehicles behind. The lights will only be activated once it detects vehicles following behind the bike.
Once the motorcyclist leaves the tunnel, the lights will automatically turn back off.
Otherwise, there is also a switch to manually activate the tunnel vision system.
Apparently, the patent application also states that multiple lights will be turned on if the system detects an increasing number of vehicles behind the motorcycle.
What do you think about this specific technology? Useful, or unnecessary?