About ABRAM

ABRAM (June 2013-May 2016) is an International Outgoing Fellowship project funded by the European Commission under the Marie Curie Actions.

The goal of ABRAM (Autonomous Braking for Motorcycles) is to provide a contribution to powered-two-wheeler safety through the investigation of autonomous emergency braking for motorcycles (MAEB).

AEB systems for passenger cars are currently available for most of top-end models. The benefits of the AEB  were also proved. What about the applicability of the AEB to motorcycles? Is it of any help? Is it feasible? Or rather does it just makes motorcycles more complex, more expensive and more dangerous?

A study in 2009 showed that the AEB may be beneficial also for PTWs. In particular, the PISa project (European Commission, FP6, 2007-2009) stated that MAEB is one of the most promising safety systems for PTWs.

The first studies expressed three recommendations for MAEB: 

1. activation must be restricted to imminent crash cases when the collision between PTW and another vehicle has become physically inevitable; 
2. autonomous deceleration must be mild to avoid vehicle destabilization; 
3. in case the rider attempts any action prior to collision the system should turn idle without influencing the maneuverability.

In the ABRAM project, relevant aspects linked to evaluation and implementation of autonomous braking for PTWs will be addressed in order to create scientific bases for the assessment of such system. The project will investigate:

• the potential benefit offered by MAEB in terms of increased road safety for motorcyclists; 
• the activation criteria and the procedures needed to guarantee the correct functioning; 
• the interaction between system and rider during deployment.