Ford Emoji Cycling Jacket

In Designworks’ latest collaboration with Ford we’ve created an Emoji Jacket as part of their ‘Share the Road’ campaign which aims to improve the safety for all road users.

The emoji jacket is a cycling jacket which has an LED panel integrated into the back that can display a series of emojis to allow cyclists to express their mood. There are three emojis: a happy face, a sad face and a neutral face, along with a hazard symbol and left and right arrows for indicating which way the cyclist is turning. This is all controlled using a wireless remote mounted on the bicycle’s handlebars. All developed by Designworks’ in-house industrial design and electronic engineering creative teams.

“Emojis have become a fundamental part of how we use language. Whether used to convey facial expressions, humour, or sarcasm, they have become integral to our ability to express ourselves and quickly” - Dr. Neil Cohn PhD

The one-of-a-kind prototype jacket has been “designed to show how tensions could be eased by enabling riders to more easily and more clearly show drivers what their intentions are”.

Here’s some of the coverage the emoji jacket has generated; The Verge, Bike Radar and engadget. We will have more information to follow soon.

To learn more about Fords ‘Share the Road’ campaign, visit Ford’s website. If you are interested in our prototyping services, please get in touch with us here at Designworks.

If you’re interested to see another Ford project undertaken by Designworks please click here.