New Emoji Jacket From Ford Will Protect Bikers On The Road
If there’s a perfect time to begin travelling by bike, the answer is now. It is an easy, environment-friendly transportation choice that most climate activists have been promoting for as an effective method to minimize and lessen carbon footprint. Thanks to Apple for making maps that help bikers. But, the road hasn’t been bike friendly and safe for cyclists, most especially those who have a route in the city streets. According to statistics, people who commute using bike have greater chances to get involved in road accidents with other vehicles.
Moreover, they also have the biggest risk of suffering from injuries, or even worse, death, compared to other motorists on the road. Due to these data, cyclists need to be aware of their surroundings when they are travelling. They have to be watchful and alert of any mishaps. They also need to make sure that they arrive at their destination safe and alive. They do this by wearing reflective and brightly colored article of clothing to guarantee that they are more visible when they are on the road. However, even this initiative is still not enough to guarantee that they arrive in one piece.
The ‘Emoji Jacket’ by Ford
The European division of Ford, a popular automobile company has designed and created a prototype of the ‘Emoji Jacket’ in relation with their campaign called ‘Share the Road’, which has a goal to upgrade road safety and enhance understanding between drivers and cyclists. This custom-made jacket is crafted with LED mesh panel at the back that show off various emojis to assist the cyclists in improving communication to other drivers. The jacket could display their intentions, as well as how they are feeling, making it easier to communicate with motorists on the road. Apart from this, it also aims to relieve the tensions that are going on between drivers and cyclists.
Cyclists can use a number of different emojis to tell their emptions, neutral face, smiley face, sad face, right or left arrows, and even the signal for hazard. They can do this by utilizing the wireless remote that is located on the handlebars of the bicycle.
Why do they use emojis?
According to Dr. Neil Cohn PhD, an assistant professor at the Department of Communication and Cognition at Tillburg University, The Netherlands, emojis are essential part of how people utilize language. Regardless of how they use it, whether to communicate sarcasm and humor or display facial expressions, they are considered vital to human’s capacity to quickly express what they are trying to say. In some sense, emojis somehow made communication more understandable and seamless. Basically, Ford of Europe hopefully expects that their very own ‘Emoji Jacket’ can help many bikers express themselves and convey messages clearly and easily with fellow road users. They also aim to make communication much better on the road.
Do you think Ford will allow a middle finger emoji? At some point, cyclists need to rage even just a little. But, there’s still no update of when will this prototype jacket be made available to the public.