Overview
- Skoda worked with the University of Salford and AMV BBDO to create a mechanical bell tuned to slip past active noise cancellation in popular headphones.
- Laboratory measurements showed people with ANC enabled heard the DuoBell up to five seconds sooner and from as far as 22 meters farther than standard bells.
- The bell uses two resonators and a hammer that delivers quick, slightly irregular strikes, which ANC systems that cancel predictable patterns struggle to filter.
- Deliveroo courier trials in London found the prototypes easier to notice, and riders asked to keep using them after the tests.
- Skoda will not mass-produce the bell and has released the findings for any maker to adopt as cities report more cyclist–pedestrian run-ins, including a 24% rise in London in 2024.