OUR JOURNEY

The story of MCAS is a shining example of what can be achieved through perseverance and motivation to make positive impact within the communities. It all began when two researchers from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) were reviewing a database of the MIROS's naturalistic motorcycle riding research project. They came across an event that involved a near-crash between a motorcycle and a car (picture below). The event involved a colleague of them who was riding the motorcycle on a high-speed multilane highway when a car suddenly changed lanes onto his path without signaling. Fortunately, he was able to steer out of the harm's way in the nick of time, but the researchers realized that it could have easily been a lot worse.

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This close call sparked an idea in their mind: what if there was a motorcycle technology that could detect potential collisions and alert the rider (and a potential collision partner) in advance? This idea grew into MCAS, a revolutionary pre-collision warning system for two-wheelers. With its advanced sensors and algorithms, MCAS has since become a game-changer in motorcycle safety research in Malaysia, helping motorcyclists avoid potential collision and stay safe on the roads. The two researchers, Ts. Alhapiz and Tc. Hazazi started the MCAS project with low-cost ultrasonic sensors, with a limited range of just 4 meters, and a MYR 400 training fee to learn Arduino.

 

The team pressed on, driven by their passion for improving motorcycle safety. They poured countless hours into self-learning, software coding, hardware integration, motorcycle fabrication and field testing. Finally, in January 2020, they completed the first MCAS prototype. But that was only the beginning. The team was encouraged by the promising progress of the first prototype, so they invested in a 12-meter range LIDAR. They then challenged themselves with a 40-meter range LIDAR. In December 2020, they successfully secured funding for a higher-range LIDAR sensor before embarking on the arduous journey of testing the prototype on the road, working tirelessly to refine and perfect the system.

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In May 2022, the project, then had grown into a full-fledge research project called Project for Research on Powered Two-Wheeler Crash Evasion Technology (PROSPECT), achieved another milestone when MIROS formalized a collaboration with PLUS Malaysia Berhad to initiate a pilot project to install MCAS on actual motorcycles used by commuting motorcyclists in Malaysia.

 

The story of MCAS is a testament to the power of innovation and the spirit of never giving up on a dream.