AB Dynamics and Group company DRI have launched the Soft Motorcycle 360, a next-generation Powered Two Wheeler (PTW) test target.
The target has been developed as a solution to improve motorcyclist safety. According to statistics from the UNECE, half of the world’s road traffic deaths occur among the three key vulnerable user groups: motorcyclists (23 per cent), pedestrians (22 per cent) and cyclists (5 per cent). This has caused the industry to place a greater focus on protecting vulnerable road users (VRU) such as motorcyclists through preventative systems, such as ADAS. As a result, VRU tests now significantly contribute to Euro NCAP’s safety rating.
The Soft Motorcycle 360 complies with Euro NCAP 2023 and ISO 19206-5 draft requirements, and it is also compatible with AB Dynamics’ LaunchPad 80 platform, allowing the target to reach an 80km/h top speed. This creates a total solution that can be utilised for all upcoming 2023 Euro NCAP test scenarios involving motorcycles.
Additional key features of the Soft Motorcycle 360 include:
- A modular construction of lightweight foam allowing ease of assembly, durability and longevity
- Increased sensor realism, from the foam core coated in a rubberised skin moulded to the shape of a motorcycle and its rider to its unconventional ground touching, rotating wheels that provide a speed-matched Doppler effect for radar sensors
- Softened hard points to reduce potential damage to test vehicles
Dr Andrew Pick, AB Dynamics’ Business Director – Track Test Systems said:
“Our products have been designed to enable vehicle manufacturers to thoroughly test ADAS systems in a time and cost-effective way. Limitless variations in a scenario, such as approach speed or angle, can be quickly and easily changed. The result is a much more rigorous testing programme that provides manufacturers with greater confidence of not only passing Euro NCAP tests but that the technology will also work in the real world.”
The Soft Motorcycle 360 was designed and engineered in collaboration with AB Dynamics Group company DRI in California. DRI are the developers of the Soft Car 360 and were able to leverage this experience to develop a motorcycle target that is realistic, lightweight and efficient to work with.
“DRI’s experience working with the world’s leading safety organisations and OEMs has been critical in the development of the Soft Motorcycle 360,” said Jordan Silberling, Product Development Manager at Dynamic Research Inc. “Everything it has learnt from the hundreds of tests conducted annually has gone into the product to improve its realism and reduce test vehicle damage.”