Ducati Multistrada V4 world’s first radar technology driven motorcycle

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Italy : Production of Ducati Multistrada V4 motorcycle commenced at Ducati’s  factory in Borgo Panigale, It is the first motorcycle to use front and rear radar technology.

The Multistrada V4 marks an epochal turning point for this motorcycle maker. Officially it will be launched on November 4th.

For the fourth generation of the Multistrada, Ducati has developed a new, light and compact V4 engine. It is designed as to meet the requirements needed for “adventouring” use without neglecting emotion and sportiness. On October 15, the company will reveal all the details of this new engine.

The company’s interest in this type of systems ways back to 2016, when Ducati collaborated with the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano to experiment with this type of systems.

Cooperation with Bosch

This first experience has confirmed the applicability of this kind of technology on two wheelers. Following this, Ducati created a complete package of riding assistance using two radars that, within four years, has been developed and produced in close cooperation with Bosch. Now it sees its first application on the new Ducati Multistrada V4.

Radars are advanced systems supporting and making riding more comfortable.

Radars are advanced systems supporting and making riding more comfortable. Similar to modern action camera, each radar has compact dimensions of 70 x 60 x 28 mm. So it can perfected integrated into the bike, weighing only 190 grams.

Radars

The radar positioned in the front of the vehicle controls the operation of the Adaptive Cruise Control, which by means of controlled braking and acceleration automatically adjusts the distance from other vehicles when riding at a speed between 30 and 160 km/h.

This car-derived system has been evolved and developed according to the dynamics and ergonomics of a two-wheeled vehicle. In particular, the authority of the system in terms of deceleration and acceleration has been limited in order to ensure the rider can maintain constant control of the vehicle in any situation.

On the other hand, the rear radar is able to detect and report vehicles positioned in the blind spot, i.e. the area not visible either directly by the rider or through the rear-view mirror. The Blind Spot Detection system also signals the approaching from behind of vehicles at high speed.

Patent Filing 

In May 2017, a patent application relating to the control algorithms of this system was filed  to underline the technical-scientific value of the research project, which was jointly carried out by Ducati engineers, researchers and undergraduates from the Politecnico di Milano. A scientific publication was presented at the IEEE – Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV) in Redondo Beach, California In June 2017.

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