I’m not a confident-enough cyclist to ride my bike anywhere other than a quiet park or deserted neighborhood.
Busy city streets are definitely out of the question.
Each year, some 2,000 bicycle riders are killed on Europe’s roads, based on the EU Commission’s Traffic Safety Basic Facts.
As part of its Share The Road campaign, the vehicle maker concocted a prototype Emoji Jacket.
“Emojis have become a fundamental part of how we use language,” Tilburg University professor Neil Cohn said in a statement. “Whether used to convey facial expressions, humor, or sarcasm, they have become integral to our ability to express ourselves and quickly.
“This jacket,” he explained, “allows riders to express their feelings and creates an important emotional link between them and other road users.”
The one-of-a-kind creation was designed, according to Ford Europe, “to show how tensions could be eased by enabling riders to more easily and more clearly show drivers what their intentions are—and how they are feeling.”
The branded jacket features a large LED mesh panel on the back, boldly displaying symbols including three emojis (happy face, angry face, neutral face), two arrows (left and right), and a hazard signal.
A wireless remote is mounted on the bicycle’s handlebars (via Ford)
Users activate each icon via a wireless remote mounted to their bike’s handlebars.
“We are now living—and driving—in a world where communication is crucial,” Emmanuel Lubrani, part of Ford Europe’s Share The Road team, said. “But all too often between drivers and cyclists this just comes down to the beeping of a horn or a rude gesture.
“The Emoji Jacket uses a universally understood means of communication to show one way in which tensions could be eased,” he added.
There is no word on whether the high-tech duds will be mass produced.
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- New Emoji Are More Gender-Inclusive Than Ever
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