Hero and Valeo to develop “Digital Co-Pilot” safety systems for bikes
Announced in Las Vegas, the new partnership will see Valeo’s radar and camera technology adapted for motorcycles and electric scooters across Hero MotoCorp’s global range.
Valeo and Hero MotoCorp have announced a new partnership aimed squarely at one of the industry’s favourite talking points and biggest challenges: making motorcycles safer without making them feel like white goods.
Signed at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, the Memorandum of Understanding brings together French automotive tech giant Valeo and Hero MotoCorp. The two brands will now co-develop Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (ARAS) specifically for two-wheelers, from Hero’s electric and petrol ranges.
The idea is to take the sort of sensing and perception tech that’s already well established in cars, radar, cameras, clever software, and adapt it to the realities of two wheels, mixed traffic and riders who don’t want to feel like the bike is constantly telling them off. And that final point is important, because the execution is the tricky bit.
At the heart of the project is what the companies describe as a “digital co-pilot”, creating a 360-degree safety envelope around the bike. Valeo brings radar units and high-resolution cameras capable of monitoring what’s ahead, behind and to the sides, while Hero integrates the systems into platforms ranging from entry-level commuters to more premium machines and electric scooters.
In practical terms, that means radar-based functions such as forward collision warning, distance warning, blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear collision warning. The camera system adds pedestrian detection, lane detection, traffic sign recognition and lane departure warning, with image processing designed to keep working when the light isn’t doing riders any favours.
Valeo says proof-of-concept systems are already up and running, with a focus not just on protecting riders but also pedestrians and other vulnerable road users — an increasingly important point in dense urban traffic.
Marc Vrecko, CEO of Valeo’s Brain Division (no, seriously, that’s what it’s called!), said the partnership was about bringing advanced safety tech to a rapidly growing two-wheeler market, while Hero MotoCorp’s Ram Kuppuswamy described it as a step towards making smarter, safer mobility accessible across the company’s range.
Whether riders will fully embrace bikes that watch everything they do remains to be seen, but the direction of travel is clear. Cars will follow bikes into an ARAS future, whether riders like it or not.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!