At Ducati, safety standards several notches high

It’s a first of its kind in the world. In March 2014 Italy’s iconic motorcycle manufacturer, Ducati had announced the introduction of the Multistrada D-Air model, featuring a fully integrated, intelligent system of sensors wirelessly connected to Ducati Apparel airbag jackets by Dainese.

Now it’s been revealed that the deployment of the airbag takes a mere 45miliseconds (ms) to be deployed. In case of an accident, the jacket and vest will protect the collar bone, the chest and back from injuries. In case of a direct impact involving the bike, the moment there is a front wheel contact against an obstacle, the front wheel starts to measure the deceleration  within 5ms. Within 12 ms, the algorithm detects a crash condition and within 25ms the system communicates with the jacket, deploying the airbag in 45ms.

Combining the expertise of both Ducati and Dainese, the intelligent passive safety system uses sensors built into the Multistrada’s existing electronics to constantly understand the vehicle’s dynamic situation and deploying only when subjected to a genuine accident scenario. The Multistrada D-Air system completes the data analysis and airbag deployment inside both the rider and passenger jackets in just 45 milliseconds, considerably reducing the risk of injury upon impact.

Photograph: Ducati Motor Holding CEO Claudio Domenicali / courtesy Ducati

Source: Ducati