Advanced testing solutions for motorcycle safety

MAGAL Engineering, the leading automotive laboratory in Israel specializing in advanced engineering and testing services for vehicles, aviation and yachting, is utilizing ASC gyroscopes in motorcycle crash tests to help develop a novel motorcycle communication system. MAGAL is the only company in the country capable of conducting high-quality crash and impact tests.

Protecting motorcyclists

MAGAL embarked on this groundbreaking project simulating various motorbike accident and collision scenarios to support an Israeli start-up, Cardo, in developing a software tool protecting motorcyclists in the event of an accident. MAGAL's objective was to provide a robust testing tool to evaluate the accuracy and validity of Cardo‘s software algorithms.

ASC gyroscopes of the ASC 271 (uniaxial) and ASC 273 (triaxial) series played a pivotal role in this test series, providing data essential to the software development process. Crash tests are crucial to automotive and motorcycle product development, allowing for the examination of system performance under a wide range of conditions. For a high-tech product like Cardo's, these tests are of paramount importance.

Strong grade gyroscopes for adverse conditions

Gyroscopes of the ASC 271 and 273 range are based on proven MEMS vibrating ring sensor elements. The design of the micro-mechanical silicon structures makes these gyroscopes extremely insensitive to external impact and vibrations. They are, therefore, ideally suited for use in harsh environmental conditions. Due to their strong performance, they meet industrial grade standards with maximum precision.

The uniaxial and triaxial gyroscopes feature a lightweight, reliable aluminum housing (protection class IP65) with integrated cable of configurable length and connectors. They are easily installed and fit in the tiniest spaces.

They are ideal for capturing dynamic roll, pitch and yaw angle measurements in motor vehicles and bikes, vessels and aircraft, as well as in the monitoring of vehicle dynamics of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) or the orientation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in smart agriculture.

Efficient and affordable crash testing with ASC gyroscopes

MAGAL’s project focused on collecting sensor data to serve as a reference for the software, which is available as an app on motorcyclists’ mobile devices. Key metrics included acceleration values for comparing various accident scenarios and establishing thresholds within the software.

In its innovative yet cost-effective collision testing laboratory, MAGAL uses a fleet of motorcycles and crash test dummies to simulate accidents outdoors. Sensors installed on the bikes capture data for software engineers to analyze and calibrate algorithms, making crash testing efficient and affordable. For this test series, reference sensors including accelerometers and gyroscopes were mounted on the motorcycle's front chassis, to capture the acceleration levels experienced during accidents.

Software engineers then utilized these measurements for scenario comparison, computerized simulation and the calibration of algorithm thresholds within the smartphone app software.

All in all, based on inertial sensor technology, MAGAL Engineering successfully conducted a substantial number of accident and collision scenario simulations for motorcycles. Leveraging ASC’s capacitive gyroscopes, MAGAL provided its customer with invaluable tools for the further development and validation of their product.