Commsignia connects bicycles to V2X ecosystem with Spoke
25 February 2022
Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) company Commsignia is collaborating with Vulnerable Road User (VRU) safety experts Spoke to provide automotive-grade Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) software solutions for cyclists, motorcyclists and e-scooter riders. Spoke is building on Commsignia’s more than a decade worth of experience in V2X to connect its users to the digital road safety ecosystem with proven technologies.
As bicycle, motorcycle, scooter and other mobility device ridership grows, so are the safety concerns. According to NHTSA, 891 bicyclists were killed in traffic in 2020—up 5% compared to 2019. Innovative cities and fleet operators are not just looking for better ways to understand people on the move, they are also focused on how to improve vulnerable road user’s safety.
Commsignia’s portfolio includes V2X hardware equipment for all types of vehicles, integration of roadside sensors to provide non-connected users access to the benefits of the V2X ecosystem, all the way to managing V2X devices and collecting anonymized data.
With data from V2X, cities and fleet operators can gain valuable insights to improve road safety and traffic efficiency.
Our vision is to increase safety and efficiency on the road for everyone, all around the globe. Road traffic is changing, and it is important to provide safety solutions for two-wheelers as well. Safety can only be ensured by direct V2X communication, which guarantees that vehicles in close proximity receive potentially life-saving alerts in real time. We are excited to make this a reality by partnering up with Spoke.
—Laszlo Virag, CEO of Commsignia
The highly optimized V2X software stack and safety application suite designed by Commsignia fits light vehicles and provides secure direct communication between road users and the infrastructure.
By integrating Commsignia’s V2X stack and safety application suite into a new hardware solution, Spoke plans to offer contextual awareness and V2X warning messages for bicyclists and other light mobility users. Low-latency direct communication between road users is essential for V2X safety applications.
Spoke is working with a number of stakeholders, including Qualcomm Technologies, Amazon World Services (AWS) and vehicle, bicycle, scooter and motorcycle OEMs, for maximum scale, adoption and safety impact. The Spoke portfolio launches with OEM bicycle, motorcycle and scooter partners in 2022.
I cycle in a city every day.
IMO, it is up to cyclists to make themselves visible by having properly working lights and reflectors on their bikes - a few spoke reflectors will make a bike very visible at night.
Also, if you want to stay alive, consider wearing a helmet.
You see many cyclists wearing all black with no lights at night. You do not need a fancy IT + 5G solution to solve that one.
You could also add some metal corner reflectors in case the cars had radar - not sure how common that is.
I also agree that cars just do not see cyclists, even when they are clearly visible - they are just not looking for them (I have noticed this myself).
In summary, if you are a cyclist, make sure your lights work and you have some reflectors, and preferably wear a helmet.
You might argue that cars should look out for bikes, but you owe it to yourself to make yourself visible. They'll get 6 points on their license but you'll get a tombstone or a broken leg.
Posted by: mahonj | 25 February 2022 at 03:41 AM
V2X is a super power sensor, if developed could save more lives than lidar, radar... Every cell phone should have V2X integrated so that it's user is protected. Imagine no more kids getting run over because they have a phone. I just showed my 4 year old the memorial on a nearby street for a kid that got run over. The deaths need to end.
Posted by: GdB | 25 February 2022 at 12:30 PM