There is very interesting information from Ducati, although the official release has not yet been made, the production of the Ducati Multistrada V4 has started at the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale. Ducati claims that this is the first motorcycle to use front and rear radar technology. The Multistrada V4 marks an important turning point for the motorcycle manufacturer based in Bologna and will be officially introduced on 4 November 2020.
For the fourth generation Multistrada, Ducati has developed a new V4 engine, light and compact, designed to meet the needs needed for “adventure” without neglecting emotion and sportsmanship. The complete redesign makes it possible to achieve a world record for two-wheeler maintenance intervals. All details of this new engine will be revealed on October 15, 2020.
Ducati brings radar on Mass production Motorcycles. Radar is a sophisticated assistance system capable of supporting and making riding more comfortable thanks to the ability to reconstruct the reality around the motorbike. Ducati’s interest in this type of system began in 2016 when Ducati teamed up with the Politecnico di Milano Department of Electronics, Information, and Biotechnology to experiment with this type of system.
These firsts have confirmed the application of this kind of technology to two-wheelers, and have prompted Ducati to create a complete package of driving assistance using two radars which within four years has been completed in close collaboration with Bosch and sees its first application on the new Multistrada V4.
Each radar has compact dimensions (70 x 60 x 28 mm, similar to an action cam) and those are perfectly integrated into a bike weighing only 190 grams.
The radar positioned in front of the vehicle controls ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) operation, through controlled braking and acceleration which automatically adjusts the distance (selectable at four levels) from other vehicles while driving at speeds between 30 and 160 km/hour. The derivative system of this car technology has evolved and developed in accordance with the dynamics and ergonomics of two-wheeled vehicles.
In particular, its electronic system authority is Restricted in terms of braking and acceleration to ensure the rider can continue to control the vehicle in any situation. This system allows for a more comfortable ride, especially on long road trips.
On the other hand, the rear radar is capable of detecting and reporting vehicles in places called blind spots, which are areas that are not visible either directly by the rider or through the rearview mirror. The BSD (Blind Spot Detection) system also signals when there is another vehicle approaching from behind the vehicle at high speed.
To underline the technical-scientific value of a research project jointly carried out by Ducati engineers and researchers and students from Politecnico di Milano, a patent application relating to the system control algorithm was filed in May 2017. In June 2017, a scientific publication was presented at IEEE – Intelligent Vehicle Symposium (IV) in Redondo Beach, California.
Of course, these features are certainly very useful for safety and comfort in driving, right? It is interesting to wait for the presence of these advanced technologies.
