BMW Displays Innovative Tech at Consumer Electronics Show.
BMW Motorrad is displaying two innovative technologies designed to increase motorcycle safety at the Consumer Electronics Show currently running in Las Vegas.
The first is a laser headlight system built into a BMW K 1600 GTL motorcycle. The Laserlight is derived from the system already available in the new BMW 7 Series and BMW i8, and has now been adapted for motorcycling applications.
The Laserlight generates a particularly bright and pure white light and can achieve a high-beam range of up to 600 metres, double that of conventional headlights.
BMW Motorrad laser light has been incorporated into the K 1600 GTL concept vehicle as a feasibility test.
The technology is still too costly for use in motorcycles, but it is expected that with the economies of scale from their increasing use in the car industry its use in motorcycles might be feasible in the medium term.
The second technology on show is a Head-Up Display helmet.
The BMW head-up display projects necessary or desirable traffic and vehicle information directly into the rider’s field of view, allowing the rider to maintain constant observation of the road.
The display options include safety relevant information such as tyre pressure, fuel and oil levels, travel speed and selected gear, speed limit and road sign recognition, and warnings of impending dangers.
The head-up display also allows the display of content designed to increase rider comfort, such as showing the planned route along with navigation information.
And a camera pointed towards the rear could at some point in the future perform the function of a “digital rear-view mirror”.
The helmet is also fitted with an integrated mini-computer and loudspeakers, and is controlled from the left-hand handlebar using the BMW Motorrad multicontroller.
BMW Motorrad wants to develop this technology to a production ready state within the next few years.