- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
TECH NEWS
Video: Backtracker uses radar technology to warn of approaching vehicles
New gadget Backtracker, currently seeking the necessary funding to be put into production, provides early warning of vehicles approaching from behind using radar technology and alerts their distance and speed on a handlebar-mounted device.
Backtracker is claimed to be able to detect approaching vehicles up to 140m away. A handlebar-mounted unit indicates the speed and distance of an approaching vehicle, via an array of LED lights, while the rear-mounted unit, incorporating the radar technology, lights up to alert approaching vehicles.
The inventors describe the Backtracker as a “sixth sense” and, should it work as well as claimed, could provide a safe alternative to other measures for keeping an eye on other road users behind you, such as bar end mirrors or simply looking over your shoulder.
In a study carried out for the DfT by the Transport Research Laboratory in to cycling casualties a few years back, although getting hit from behind wasn't the most common type of collision involving cyclists and motor vehicles (getting hit from the side was) it was the type most likely to kill you.
Backtracker has been developed by a team of engineers based in Stellenbosch, South Africa, who set out in 2010 to develop a product that could make cycling safer. The idea came about after meeting a cyclist fearful of vehicles approaching from behind: “The idea for Backtracker was born through a chance meeting with an elderly cyclist, who had resorted to riding in the face of oncoming traffic, for fear of motorists behind him. It inspired us to create a safety product that could bring confidence back into every ride.
"As cyclists, we know the joy of taking to the open road. We also know the dangers, and rear approaching vehicles represent the worst kind. We don’t always hear them approaching, and motorists are often blissfully unaware of cyclists. In 2010 we set the task of solving this challenge in the hope of gaining some peace of mind while enjoying the fresh air."
The Backtracker has a maximum vehicle detection range of 140m and maximum vehicle speed of 100mph. The battery lasts a claimed 8-hours and the rear LED has a peak output of 40 lumens. The two units together weigh just 130g and use Bluetooth Low Energy to communicate with each other.
.jpg){kind=tracking}
You can currently pre-order the Backtracker at crowdfunding website Dragon Innovation from $149. They’ve currently raised $9,707 of their $226,000 goal. More info at www.backtracker.io
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- ktache 24 min 39 sec ago
Isn't it a rights issue?
- antigee 29 min 11 sec ago
I've checked on Facebook and stopping the red light running cyclists was simply revenue raising and police time is better spent chasing real...
- Mikezerodown 1 hour 8 min ago
They were before change all systems, then went downhill due to bad adminstration aka CEO who agree to proceed with the worst system I have seen...
- AidanR 1 hour 14 min ago
Same here - it took me by surprise. 10:30am doesn't feel like a dangerous time to cycle; apparently I'm wrong on that.
- Daddy Feebs 1 hour 28 min ago
If anything, it looks a bit like an SL6
- wtjs 2 hours 4 min ago
Other commenters have different views True!
- Daclu Trelub 2 hours 18 min ago
Incredibly bone-headed.
- wtjs 3 hours 52 min ago
after I said that if they wouldn't tell me the outcome of a submission I would have to make an FOI request for it...
- Sriracha 4 hours 21 min ago
Lidl have a window poster emblazoned, "Black Friday. Starts Sunday".
Add new comment
58 comments
Substitute rocket launcher for gravel chip launcher and you're talking my language.
I like the idea of the backlight increasing its flicker rate as a vehicle approaches, but I don't need the head unit to tell me there is a vehicle.....and for that reason. I'm out
What a stupid invention. Haven't they heard of mirrors?
But how many cyclists have them on their bike?
As many as feel they need them, which I imagine will be many more than would ever buy this tat...
bit harsh?!
anyway, as I said, I assume the point of safety devices like these is to give some additional information to the rider, to assist in decision making, not to replace actually looking where you are going!!! (ref my earlier comment/ comparison to blind spot warning systems in cars)
Not sure you can write it off until you've seen it in action.. Like I said, if it's done right, it might useful - and may help to make cyclists feel safer. There's another news story on here about people not cycling as they perceive UK roads as 'too dangerous'. Now I don't think that's the case, but something like this might provide some reassurance. Possibly.
Mirrors are probably the worst thing you can fit to a cycle. The best indicator to a following road-user that you intend to do something is the look over the shoulder. If you stop doing this because 'you have a mirror' then what indication are they going to get if the road conditions, or your need to keep both hands on the bars, prevent you from giving a hand signal.
Personally I would ban mirrors from pedal cycles [unless a valid reason could be given eg. on a hand cranked cycle] in the interests of safety.
As to the kickstarter. Just what I always wanted -
A countdown to death! With disco lights!
I use a mirror for commuting, a tiny little thing on the end of the drops. It doesn't replace the shoulder check at all, if you're riding with traffic it's just another way to be aware of tailgating, without constantly taking your eye off the one in front. Or cars creeping forward at lights when they should be stationary. When you ride at night, peripheral vision will pick up on the headlights moving without even looking at it.
Oh, and then there's recumbents, where mirrors are much more common.
Mirrors have some serious drawbacks!
(1) Short range
(2) It doesn't give you speed or distance easily
(3) It only works when visibility is good. When it's bad - the cyclist is dead in the water!
Keep in mind that this system also has an intelligent backlight...so its quite proactive!
woo
Nice idea but a bit of a solution looking for a problem IMO.
Personally I almost never get surprised by a vehicle I didn't know was behind me- YMMV if you use headphones
And just knowing something's there isn't all that useful- what are you going to do with that information?
Most of the things behind you won't be a problem, and even if this system could somehow detect which ones are a problem what are you going to do about it?
This.
It also ties nicely to your line about headphones. Why would not listening to music make a difference to whether an idiot drives into the back of you.
I make the same point when people talk about headphone bans. If you are cycling in a responsible manner, what action can you possibly take when you hear something coming up behind you aggressively?
I don't wear headphones, but I really can't understand why people think it's so dangerous to do so.
Sometimes you can take action. As an example, a few times I've been aware of people racing up behind me as I approach a junction or car park on my left, making me suspect I'm going to get cut up, and I can put myself in a better position for when, sure enough, that's what happens.
OK, that doesn't happen too often, and of course if someone's going to just drive into the back of you hearing it coming isn't necessarily going to help you out.
But for me headphones are a trade off that isn't worth making. I like music, but struggling to hear it over road noise or with only one headphone in in exchange for reducing my awareness of my surroundings, even if only a little bit? Personally I'll leave it thanks.
And IMO all that stuff about drivers being able to listen to music etc. is a massive red herring, unless you find that you experience using the roads in your car exactly the same as when you're on your bike, including how you are treated.
All that said, people can do what they want and it doesn't really bother me when I see people with headphones, unless they're holding people up in blissful ignorance!
At the risk of seeing confrontational, which I really don't intend to be, what action can you take in that situation? Can you slow down? Seems like a bad idea, because the driver might've been intending to ride your back wheel until they could turn, and could now misjudge it. Prepare yourself to brake, just in case? Well my fingers are on the brake levers at all times anyway, and the car appearing in my peripheral vision is what actually clues me into a left hook being a possibility, not the noise. Can you change road position? I'm struggling to think of a road layout/situation for which this is a sensible thing to do, based just on the noise.
This is all assuming that you have heard something. I said before that I don't use headphones. Between the wind and the general traffic noise I find I often don't hear things coming up behind me anyway. I honestly think that all my hearing has enabled me to do is to occasionally get anxious, to hear what people say when they've yelled abuse (which frankly just makes me angry) and to hear approaching sirens slightly earlier (I'm sure people with headphones will still hear them, and frankly I very rarely find I have to move aside for emergency vehicles anyway - the benefits of not taking up much road space - despite living very near a hospital so meeting many ambulances).
I don't wear headphones (sorry for the repeition) but my reason is nothing to do with safety. I just enjoy riding more without them. It feels freer and more liberating to me. I also wear a helmet, also for reasons that have nothing to do with safety, but that's another story.
No confrontation perceived
I don't like to get into specifics because I think these things can be much more nuanced in the real world than they can ever come across on here, and it's not helpful to focus on one particular set of circumstances or bit of road or junction.
When I said better position, I didn't mean specifically location in the road- obviously it's not usually a good idea to do anything too drastic in that sort of situation!
For me it's just being that little bit readier, before something appears in your peripheral vision. Sometimes you can't do anything about it, sometimes you can- perhaps adjust your speed fractionally if you judge you can do that safely, or at least safer than getting left hooked, or whatever it is you sense coming up. I think humans are very good at this sort of on-the-fly judgement, including whether that car is riding your back wheel or coming up faster in the next lane, if they've got a reasonable idea of what's going on around them.
I'm not claiming any Spidey sense or anything here, just stuff that I think helps me maintain a buffer sometimes when it might otherwise shrink. And maybe I'm just kidding myself about how effective that is.
But IMO awareness of a slightly bigger picture than I can see right in front of me is a Good Thing. Personally I don't feel the need to lose a bit of that in order to listen to music half-arsedly.
Pretty good idea, IMO, but will depend on the execution in reality (eg will it just pick up motorists, or cyclists too?)
Just a little warning light to say there's something right behind you, when you may not have known about it, is pretty useful
similar idea to blind spot detection systems in cars / cyclist warning systems in HGV's , which are pretty useful inventions.
The Volvo I drive has got a fair bit of safety equipment like this, but they make it clear in the manual that it absolutely should not replace giving driving your full attention. so these things are designed as safety aids, in the event of unforseen situations, so I don't see why cyclists wouldn't wasn't the same sort of tech to keep them safe - IF it's unobtrusive and reliable..
How about wearing a flashing disco ball on your back? approaching vehicles will surely take notice and perhaps even slow down a bit to look at the pretty lights before running you over.
please form a orderly queue and send your monies this way for my idea.
After seeing the bike whiskers article this (or any other ) idea seems it will be of great use.
OK so you get a warning about what's going on behind but it's not going to tell whether the vehicles going to come past too close and/or too fast and what the hell can you do about a problem coming up behind - suddenly dive off the road into the nearest hedge as it'll hurt less !
Clever but pointless ... I'm out
Gargghhh, I'm not sure I can take another one of these crowd funding videos with the anticipatory music that forms into a crescendo as the inventor makes the final big pitch!
140m range? So about six seconds between the first light illuminating and being hit by a car closing at 50mph.
Going to stick with listening and looking, myself.
Please pledge £250,000 to my genius idea of regularly looking over my shoulder.
Anything that allows me to block one of my senses must be a good idea.
Or should I just ride without the headphones in?
[Duncan Bannatyne]meh! you know what I'm going to say...[/Duncan Bannatyne]
Pointless.
When it goes off, you'll just look behind, hence negating the need.
Two questions come to mind
What the hell are we supposed to do once the warning box is fully lit up?
Surely this should be fitted as standard to the front of all motor vehicles with an audible warning such as " Brake brake brake. Oh stuff you, you daft pillock. Go ahead and have an accident. Just don't say I didn't warn you!"
Or as a colleague has discovered with his new car, brake, brake, brake, oh f*** it if you aren't I am... as his car refuses to hit the car in front.*
* just waiting for the day when it goes wrong though!
This isn't really a warning device. It just tells you how far the cars are behind you. You can therefore make the best decision, given the information at hand, based on your context.
As an example: If it's a dodgy road, you'll interpret it as a warning. If its got a good shoulder, you're OK, then you don't see it as a warning.
Pages