Continental’s Detectable Jacket

Continental has announced that Continental Engineering Services has achieved a significant milestone in automotive innovation with our Detectable Jacket, earning the prestigious SAFETYBEST 2024 Award from AUTOBEST.org. This accolade recognizes the Detectable Jacket as a groundbreaking solution designed to enhance the safety of vulnerable road users.

The Detectable Jacket represents a leap forward in safety technology for vulnerable road users including pedestrians and cyclists. It is constructed from a material that enhances the visibility of cyclists to modern vehicle sensor systems, effectively communicating with driver assistance systems to improve cyclist detection. This innovative design ensures that cyclists are more easily recognized by vehicles, thus reducing the risk of accidents and enhancing overall road safety.

“Continental continues its commitment to ‘Vision Zero’, with zero fatalities, zero injuries, zero crashes. Our vision goes beyond vehicles; it includes vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians. We are very pleased that AUTOBEST has recognized our contribution to Vision Zero with its SAFETYBEST 2024 Award, achieved through the Detectable Jacket. Reflective and breathable, the jacket’s key feature is that it is easily detectable by vehicle sensors such as LiDAR or camera. Because of its outstanding success, we are now working to produce a lighter version of the jacket with Urban Circus, which will provide the same visibility at a more efficient price point,” said Eric Vincelot, Head of Continental Engineering Services (CES) France.

The Detectable Jacket’s recognition comes at a time when automotive safety technology for road users continues to evolve. Continental’s development of a new material that enhances the visibility of cyclists is a pioneering move in the industry, highlighting how simple yet smart innovations can make a substantial difference in saving lives on the road.

Continental’s Detectable Jacket was developed in collaboration with French outdoor clothing specialist Urban Circus. This partnership has resulted in the first jacket globally to combine visibility to the human eye and detectability by vehicle sensors such as LiDAR and cameras. The jacket is up to twice as visible to vehicle sensors as conventional high-visibility vests, thanks to the innovative glass microbead technology that amplifies nighttime visibility by up to 300 meters—a six-fold increase over standard white outerwear.

As Continental looks forward to the future, it remains committed to pioneering innovative solutions that enhance road safety and set new standards in the industry. The Detectable Jacket is a prime example of how the company is leading the way in ensuring that all road users, particularly the most vulnerable, are protected through advanced technology.