Matt Jones' World-First Jump Through Two Moving Autonomous Trucks

"Most recently, they teamed up with top-tier mountain biker and team athlete Matt Jones for his attempt to jump through the moving gap between two moving autonomous semi-trucks. It's the kind of idea that starts as a scribble on a napkin at the bar and, thanks to Red Bull, has somehow ended with thousands of simulations, a full production crew, and one rider trusting his life to his bike handling, a pair of driverless machines,"

"The stunt took place on a closed test track in Sweden, deep in Scania's autonomous-vehicle proving grounds. And while even a few years ago this thing would've likely been deemed too risky, thanks to the advances of modern technology, it not only was something deemed possible on paper, but was something that was done in real life. Instead of human drivers, the trucks were controlled by Scania's self-driving systems."

"While this technology is usually reserved for things like avoiding hazards and keeping these vehicles in their lanes while rolling down the road, it coincidentally became the perfect tool to precisely time a human being jumping through an ever-narrowing gap between two open-sided trailers on his bicycle. For the nerds out there like me who were curious, this truck automation was done through a series of complex systems that include an interconnected system of cameras, radar, lidar, and algorithmic steering."

Red Bull partnered with mountain biker Matt Jones to attempt a jump through the moving gap between two autonomous semi-trucks. The stunt evolved from early sketches into thousands of simulations, a full production crew, and a rider relying on his bike handling, two driverless machines, and a green light mounted on an Audi. The jump occurred on a closed test track in Sweden within Scania's autonomous-vehicle proving grounds. Advances in modern technology made the maneuver feasible. Scania's self-driving systems controlled the trucks, using interconnected cameras, radar, lidar, and algorithmic steering, though significant complexity remained.

Read at BikeMag