Bosch is presenting its newest connected e-bike innovations with anti-theft devices built in and smart glasses which allow for navigation on the move.
The German brand is showing off a raft of 2020 equipment at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Announced earlier in 2019 and available this summer, Bosch's SmartphoneHub offers weather updates, fitness tracking and music streaming. Paired with the COBI.Bike app, the hub provides navigation, activity recording and connection with third party apps such as Strava.
The unit for fitness focused e-bikers is the Kiox on-board computer. This provides riders with an overview of training data such as heart rate. The computer also utilises a 'Lock' anti-theft function - when the unit removed, the motor support is disabled, and only enabled again when the computer is re-connected.
Teased in 2019, the 'Light Drive' smart glasses from Bosch aren't designed specifically for the e-bike market. However, they use an integrated system to make standard glasses smart - allowing navigation, speed and power info on the move, in a 'heads up' position. Signalling intention, the first use in Bosch's ad was on the bike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB_RHkse80k&feature=emb_title
A light scanner inside the Light Drive System scans a holographic element (HOE) that is integrated into the lens of the smart glasses. The hands-free info is delivered via light reflected from a holographic element directly into the retina - removing any need to take your eyes away from the road.
The system will work with glasses designed to correct vision, and weighs less than 10grams - making it the slimmest on the market.
It is expected that Bosch will supply Light Drive to eyewear manufacturers, allowing them to build them into glasses - with availability expected to be in 2021.
Whilst Bosch is going big on the e-bike industry, it is also addressing the automotive market, and turning heads with innovations such as a driverless shuttle bus.
In a potential good news story for cyclists and pedestrians alike, Bosch is also unveiling an interior monitoring system which detects when drivers are losing alertness or looking at a smartphone and alerts them to situations on the road.
