How Augmented Reality (AR) Glasses Will Help Cyclists Stay Safe.

In a previous article posted here on LinkedIn (Will Autonomous Vehicles Make Cyclists Safer?), I discussed the benefits on Vehicle to Everything (V2X) technology and how it's deployment, ongoing in many trials across the USA, in AV's and Smart City infrastructure will improve the safety of cyclists. While mass deployment of C-V2X technology in vehicles and infrastructure is a few years away, I followed up saying that a smartphone app with V2X technology could be a way in the short term for cyclists to communicate their presence to vehicles that would also have the app running on their smartphones currently used inside the vehicle for navigation, music, hands-free communications and other popular applications.

While I know of a few companies developing C-V2X smartphone apps and are working closely with automotive companies developing autonomous vehicles, where the C-V2X stack would be integrated with the on-board ADAS and autonomous driving software systems, a nagging issue for me was that while all this technology really is amazing, since it allows AV's to identify cyclists and pedestrians out on the road, as well as communicate with with other C-V2X equipped vehicles and smart city infrastructure, it didn't really tell me, the cyclist, what vehicles were around me, in my blind spots, or up ahead.

THIS IS WHERE I BELIEVE AR GLASSES ARE GOING TO BE A MAJOR GAME CHANGER FOR CYCLISTS!

The picture below is a concept I've come up with where AR glasses, coupled with a smartphone app and even a smartwatch, provides a nice little ecosystem for cyclists and pedestrians (I'm talking to you e-scooter folks who also ride out on the road).

Basically, the three components of a smartphone, smartwatch and AR glasses would be the ultimate setup for us cyclists. The smartphone app would run the C-V2X software stack and communicate our location (as well as receive proximity vehicle locations) over 5G using the Sidelink PC5 interface. V2X includes communications between vehicles and pedestrian/cyclists (V2P, P2V) as well as infrastructure (V2I) such as Smart Traffic lights and Smart Signs (school speed limit signs). As the cyclist's smartphone app would be receiving vehicle locations sensed in the vicinity, I've indicated in the AR glasses concept above various icons showing vehicles emerging from the left, right, behind and in front of the cyclist's location. Something simple as lighting up the vehicle icons in green, yellow and red (flashing red being danger, you are about to get hit) to indicate safety levels would be a great way to keep cyclists aware of vehicles around them. As V2X includes GNSS for location and speed information, it would be easy for the smartphone application to calculate some safety parameters for the various green-yellow-red scenarios. Outside the 3ft (1.0m) distance, GREEN. Inside 3ft, YELLOW. Less than 1ft, RED.

In addition to V2X vehicle notifications, the AR glasses would display trip information (speed, distance, trip time, etc.) as well as biometric and performance data. For biometric information, this is where an Apple Watch, with their heart rate and blood O2 measurements, would come in handy and easily displayed on the AR glasses display. Performance data such as calories burnt are other measurements currently available on smart watches and watts are specific to cyclists, available on current cycling computer units (with corresponding power meter fitted on the bike).

In summary, V2X technology that allows AV's and Smart City infrastructure to identify and communicate with each other is a major game changer to help improve traffic and safety on our city roads and highways. Having AV's identify cyclists out on the road and communicate their location to other V2X equipped vehicles makes us much, much safer. Add ADAS technology such as anti-collision to the mix and we'll see a major reduction in vehicle-vehicle, vehicle-pedestrian, vehicle-cyclists accidents. V2X smartphone apps coupled with AR glasses for cyclists brings the "you can see me but I can also see you" feature which is important for us to be totally aware of our surroundings while out on our dangerous roads. Adding trip information and biometrics, performance data on the AR glasses display keeps us from looking down at our cycling computer or smartphones attached to our handlebars is another huge benefit for our safety. I cannot wait!

Lastly, as the smartphone V2X app would be collecting lots of data, and with the ability to upload this data via 5G cellular network to the cloud, what could we do with this data? Alas, that'll have to wait for a Part III of this series. I have an idea and maybe some company out their wants to hire me to go drive this development. I'm open to offers. Safe cycling!