Not a fake! This jacket really exists! To improve understanding between cyclists and drivers, Ford has commissioned a so-called “emoji jacket”.
The Emoji Jacket: This unique creation, which is not available for purchase, features easily identifiable light signals on the back of the jacket, clearly indicating to following road users what the person on the bike is up to and how they are feeling.
The jacket has an LED panel on the back with the following displays:
- Three different emojis (happy, neutral or sad face)
- Directional arrows (left and right)
- Danger signal
The cyclist activates the respective emoji, the directional arrows and the danger sign using a wireless remote control mounted on the bike's handlebars.
Since their appearance more than 20 years ago, emojis have been described as the first language born from the digital world. According to the first “Emoji Trend Report,” many people now prefer to express their emotions through emojis rather than a direct phone call.
Cycling is very trendy. However, communicating with other road users can sometimes be difficult because cyclists have to take their hands off the handlebars when indicating a change in direction. This makes it all the more important that drivers react appropriately to the behavior of cyclists. Conflicts between car drivers and cyclists are becoming more and more common in cities.
Share the Road
Ford's Share The Road campaign aims to improve understanding between road users and underlines the company's belief that safe cycling benefits everyone.
For this purpose, Ford has designed a very special virtual reality experience. The so-called “WheelSwap” allows drivers and cyclists to view reckless behavior on the road from a different perspective through special VR glasses. In this way, dangerous situations can be simulated that could even end fatally in real life. According to the European Commission, around 2,000 cyclists die on Europe's roads every year.
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“We live – and drive – in a world where communication is crucial. But all too often all that happens between drivers and cyclists is a honk or a rude gesture,” said Emmanuel Lubrani, Share The Road, Ford Europe. “Cyclists typically have to take one hand off the handlebars to communicate. The Emoji Jacket uses a commonly understood means of communication to suggest a way in which tensions could be eased. So we can all learn to share the road in a friendly way.”
“Emojis have become an integral part of modern language. Whether humor or sarcasm, emojis allow us to express ourselves quickly and easily. “This jacket, developed in collaboration with Ford, allows users to convey their feelings, creating an important emotional connection between them and other road users,” said Dr. Neil Cohn PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication and Cognition, at the Netherlands University in Tilburg.
Editor's note:
We are already predicting the following user comments:
- “You’re advertising for Ford!”
- “Is the jacket even vegan?”
- “Cyclists are the worst anyway!”
- “Why not a stink finger symbol?”
- “Drivers are the worst anyway!”
- “The battery for this is harmful to the environment!”
- “Pedestrians are the worst anyway!”
Source: Ford
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

