Continental has joined forces with the
outdoor clothing specialist Urban Circus to develop a highly Detectable Jacket that offers cyclists
and pedestrians a new dimension of safety on the road. As the daylight hours shrink, vulnerable
road users like cyclists and pedestrians become more difficult to spot by the human eye and
vehicles alike. In comparison to conventional high-visibility jackets, the Detectable Jacket is much
better recognizable to the human eye. It is also up to twice more visible to LiDAR (Light Detection
and Ranging) and camera sensors of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which
constantly monitor the vehicles’ surroundings. For this solution, the partners have bundled their
competencies – Urban Circus its expertise in outdoor clothing that protects against darkness, wind
and rain, and Continental its experience with vehicle sensors – and developed a safe, stylish jacket
that is suitable for everyday use.
“Our ‘Vision Zero’ – zero fatalities, zero injuries, zero crashes – not only includes automobile users,
but also focuses especially on vulnerable road users. With the Detectable Jacket, a joint innovation
from Continental’s own development and production service provider Continental Engineering
Services and Urban Circus, the outdoor wear specialist, we are moving one further step closer to
making urban traffic safer for VRUs,” Eric Vincelot, Head of Continental Engineering Services
(CES) France says.
More visible to Human Eye and the Vehicle
The special arrangement of fluorescent and reflective inserts in the patented Urban-RPrint®
technology fabric used for the Detectable Jacket is detected by on-board cameras and LiDAR
systems faster and more reliably. To the eyes of the ADAS-sensors, the Detectable Jacket is up to
twice more visible than conventional high-visibility vests. Accordingly, the system can intervene
faster and better, brake or even stop completely. The size and position of the fabric inserts were
chosen so that the sensors can directly detect the silhouette of a cyclist or pedestrian. At the same
time, the risk of dazzling the sensors and cameras was minimized. In addition, glass microbead
technology increases visibility to the human eye up to 300 meters. This is made possible by the
retroreflective Urban-RPrint® fabric, which is coated with thousands of micro-glass spheres and
can reflect light from vehicle headlights up to 300 meters away. As a result, cyclists and
pedestrians are better protected from accidents with vehicles, even in the dark and in poor
visibility.
Unparalleled Safety and Unbeatable Style
Urban Circus specialists have brought all their expertise in trendy, functional outdoor clothing to the
joint development. The Detectable Jacket is not only safe and innovative, but also comfortable and
stylish. It is wind and waterproof, thus saving also from draughts and heavy rain. Thanks to the
water vapor permeability, the jacket is still breathable and wicks moisture caused by perspiration to
the outside, so that the wearer has a pleasantly dry feeling on the skin even during sweaty sports
activities.
