Skoda, mostly known for its cars, has developed the DuoBell, a mechanical bicycle bell designed specifically to be heard by those using noise cancelling headphones. The bell hits a frequency "gap" between 750Hz and 780Hz where active noise cancelling algorithms are the least effective.
For bicyclists in urban areas, it can be dangerous to avoid headphone wearing pedestrians, as most of the best headphones feature some kind of ANC. This leads to collisions and injuries.
The DuoBell is designed to bypass ANC so that walkers can hear bicyclists coming up to "22 meters" away.
DuoBell is fully mechanical bike bell featuring two bells. The first half can hit the narrow band between 750Hz and 780Hz where ANC appears to be least effective. The "ANC blind spot" was discovered by Skoda and scientists at the University of Salford.
The other half features an additional resonator that is tuned to a frequency. It also has a specially designed hammer that strikes the bell in a rapid, irregular manner. Combined, the two halves generate sound waves that break through ANC algorithms.
This project is an excellent example of how a simple, yet clever idea can help make exploration safer for everyone,” said Meredith Kelly, Global Head of Marketing at Škoda Auto in a post.
Skoda tested the bell in London with bike couriers in the city. Impressively, the company documented the process and the research and posted it for everyone to see. If you're interested you can download the research from Skoda's website.
For now, it appears the DuoBell is only a Skoda prototype in London, but I'm personally hoping it actually makes it out of the company's labs. It'll be interesting to see if headphone makers try to improve ANC to the point that the gap is filled or if it'll be left open as a safety precaution
As someone who lives and irregularly bikes in a large city, this is the kind of device that would make me more comfortable dealing with pedestrians, especially those wearing headphones.
