Every cyclist needs this handlebar-mounted device

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Dashboard is to cars as BeeLine is to bikes.

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In today’s environmentally conscious society, cycling has become the main mode of transportation for many city dwellers. This method has also proven to be a faster way to get to-and-from work, compared to rush hour traffic and crowded buses. However, there are some downsides that come with biking, such as getting lost, stopping regularly to find directions on your phone, and the unfortunate, yet very possible occurrence of getting struck by a vehicle amid the hustle and bustle. Cyclists already do our environment a favor by reducing emissions, so why shouldn’t cyclists have a safer and easier commute? Two London-based cyclists return the favor with BeeLine, a smart and affordable navigation device for bicycles.

Mark Jenner and Tom Putnam, the brains behind the navigation unit, came up with the idea when they planned to meet up for lunch, only for both to get lost on their bikes. And so, the duo decided to create BeeLine to make riding fun and stress-free. The wristwatch-sized device works quite similarly to a compass. Instead of pointing you north, BeeLine navigates you in the general direction of your destination, while also noting the distance to go. This “stripped back” concept of navigation allows for a safer and more engaged journey. It only requires a quick glance for directions, leaving you free to focus on the road and not looking for street names.

BeeLine’s setup is as effortless as its way of navigating. The gadget simply snaps onto your bike’s handlebar, and only requires the use of your smartphone to select the destination in its accompanying mobile app prior to heading out. You can save frequently used destinations for a one tap service, too. From then on, you won’t ever have to stop to find directions on your phone.

BeeLine’s capabilities extend well beyond navigation as well. It can show you your speed and distance traveled, or act as a clock. Think of it as a sleek dashboard for your bike. When it’s not in use, the innovative design protects the screen and enables you to attach it to your keys or throw it in your bag or pocket.

Since bikes come in many shapes and sizes, BeeLine boasts a one-size-fits-all silicone strap that can go around any stem or handlebar. Its backlit e-paper display is visible under any conditions, and its tough casing makes it weather and shock proof. Housed within the BeeLine lies an Atmel | SMART SAM3X8E at its core, along with an accelerometer, digital compass, gyro, and a microUSB rechargeable battery that can run for a few months. This ultra low-powered unit harnesses the power of your phone, thus cutting down its costs and making it an affordable asset to your bike. (It should be noted that for its prototyping stage, the team used an Arduino and a Proto Shield connected to an Android phone.)

Ready to buzz through your commute? Head over to BeeLine’s Kickstarter campaign, where the team has raced right by its $92,118 goal. Delivery is expected to begin in August 2016.

HAIKU is a connected dashboard device for your bike

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HAIKU is a tiny device that puts important information on your handlebar, and keeps your smartphone in your pocket.

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A few weeks ago, smart water bottles had taken crowdfunding sites by storm. As of late, it seems like several startups are launching innovative ways to make bikes intelligent and improve cyclist safety. The latest product on that list: HAIKU, a small device that sits on your handlebar and provides you with a simple and convenient way to access information while riding. However, unlike others before it that have relied solely on illuminated lights, this gadget actually spells everything out in text, numbers and arrows.

Like a smartwatch optimized for your bike, the HAIKU boasts a touch-free user interface that enables you to monitor your speed, check the time, follow turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps, and receive notifications without ever having to stop and reach into your pocket. Just take it out of the box, pair it with your smartphone over Bluetooth, install the mount on your handlebar and you’re good to go!

In standby mode, HAIKU will remain off until you wave your hand above its screen. This will turn on the display, revealing a set of LEDs that represent each category of information available: yellow for navigation, green for the bike’s dashboard, and blue for incoming calls or text messages. You can easily switch between function by simply swiping over the device.

“You keep the control to access information when you are safe (at red traffic lights, in a cycle lane, etc.) so that you can enjoy your smooth and safe ride. Of course, it works with your winter gloves and under the rain,” the team writes.

Upon arriving at your destination, unplug your docked unit and your ride data will be uploaded seamlessly to the cloud, where it can be reviewed later. In terms of hardware, the team has worked relentlessly over the past two years to finalize their circuitry — beginning with various Arduino boards and migrating to their own custom PCB. HAIKU’s battery can last for about a week with normal use (roughly 12 hours) and recharged via USB.

Ready for a bike assistant? Head over to its Kickstarter campaign, where the ASPHALT Lab crew is currently seeking $61,820. HAIKU is compatible with a vast majority of today’s most popular smartphones and bicycles, and delivery is expected to begin in May 2016.

Bikiros is a smart guardian for your child’s bike

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Bikiros is a smart bicycle accessory and app that ensures children are safe while learning proper riding skills.

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Learning to ride a bike is one of the biggest milestones and challenges in your child’s life. But the question is, how can you teach your kid to bike while having a peace of mind? With cycling attributed as the top cause of children’s injuries, parents need a device that helps with safety awareness and teaches their children how to maneuver their bikes without getting hurt. This is a problem that one Hong Kong startup is looking to solve. Bikiros monitors, evaluates and educates children on biking safety.

The accessory uses four key features to teach children to be better cyclists: keeping an eye on risky biking behaviors, predicting immediate threats in the area, warning when risks are detected, and incentivizing through rewards and games. Risky biking behaviors could include late braking, tailgating, handling obstacles, high-speed cornering and more. After sensing dangerous behavior, Bikiros will then warn the biker by alerting them. After evaluating the rider’s weaknesses, its accompanying app will educate through games, comics and cartoons to teach the child better skills and ways to respond to risks while riding.

There are three components to the safety riding accessory: a rear, wheel and front module. The rear module is packed with an ARM Cortex-M3 MCU, supersonic sensors, a six-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, a warning LED, GSM and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS and a 6000mAh battery. The wheel module is equipped with a six-axis accelerometer and gyroscope speedometer. Lastly, the front boasts another ARM-based MCU and three supersonic sensors, along with a horn and buzzer, a photoresistor, and a temperature and humidity sensor.

The sensor-laden device is able to perceive all kinds of behaviors and match them according to the current biking environment to best determine if there is a potential risk that requires looking into. Through a proprietary algorithm and the embedded supersonic sensors, Bikiros can accurately pinpoint objects that may pose threats to the biker and take the necessary actions. And should impact be detected, it will trigger followup procedures to ensure help is on its way.

Tomy Chan, CEO of Bikiros, founded the company to provide others with second chances. He stated, “Last year, I was paralyzed and hospitalized for 11 hours due to thyrotoxic periodic paralysis. I felt like I was given a second chance and inspired to do what I believe in, technology could help to protect lives. And safety awareness is most important as bad choices leads to accidents and regrets.”

Want to keep your children safe? Head over to Bikiros’ Indiegogo campaign, where the startup is raising $45,000. Their estimated delivery date is set for March 2016.

SmartHalo will make any bike smart

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SmartHalo is a smart biking system that lets you focus on what matters the most — the road. 

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Like a number of other companies who have created hardware solutions to bring older vehicles into the IoT era, one Montreal-based startup is hoping to do the same for bicycles. Those who’d rather not dig deep into their pockets to purchase a new electronic bike can now make their existing one “smart” for roughly $100.

The brainchild of CycleLabs, SmartHalo is a compact device that attaches to the handlebar of your old bike and provides you with easy-to-read GPS, distance, speed and other performance data. Aside from that, the intuitive navigation system will highlight the quickest route to work in the morning and safest way home at night along with a front headlight for enhanced visibility when it gets dark.

“We believe that technology should not be something you have to worry about – it should just work. We’re urban cyclists who wanted to deal with the main problems of biking in cities: navigation and security. We found that the existing solutions right now were just not suited for harsh urban environments,” its creators share.

Among its most notable features is its turn-by-turn navigation system. Simply input your desired location into its accompanying mobile app, tuck your smartphone away and SmartHalo will take care of the rest by guiding you with simple-to-follow directions via an intuitive light between your hands.

As if that wasn’t enough, SmartHalo will automatically monitor your activities. Unlike other trackers on the market today, you’ll never have to hit ’start’ or ’stop.’ Instead, the device will track your progress as soon as you begin pedaling, then display the detailed metrics in the app for later review. It even lets you set goals using any of its parameters, like calories burned, and then view your progress in real-time on your handlebars as you pedal.

Have you ever missed an important call or email because street noise and road vibration made them hard to notice? Well, you’ll be happy to learn that SmartHalo can also serve as your personal assistant while on-the-go. The mounted unit will notify you of any incoming calls and messages, and alert you should there be an impending storm allowing you to take cover.

As any urban cyclist will tell you, theft is an all too common occurrence. Fortunately, when you’re not around, SmartHalo will keep your two-wheeler safe from any burglars by triggering an alarm if its internal motion sensor detects movement. Moreover, the gadget can only be unlocked with a special “key” provided with the product and will seamlessly deactivate as you approach the bike.

“We designed SmartHalo to be beautiful inside and out. There is no on/off button – its sophisticated sensors detect your presence. When you finish your ride, it automatically shuts down. This leads to amazing battery life, to keep going as long as you do,” the CycleLabs team explains.

With standard use, its battery can last for approximately three weeks before having to be recharged via USB. In terms of hardware, SmartHalo is equipped with a Bluetooth Low Energy module for communication, low energy LEDs, an accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope, as well as a crypto authentication chip for enhanced security.

Ready to make your bike smarter? Then race over to SmartHalo’s Kickstarter campaign, where the CycleLabs crew is currently seeking $50,000. The first batch of shipments is expected to get underway in May 2016.

Stay safe and stylish with this futuristic e-bike lighting system

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A Maker has created a colorful bike lighting system that can be easily controlled with your smartphone. 

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Philip Verbeek — who many of you may recall from his impressive littleBits and LEGO creations — has developed an innovative, app-controlled bicycle lighting system. Inspired by the city of Masdar, the Maker and eight other designers decided to dream up the electronic two-wheeler of tomorrow.

The aptly named IOMbike is equipped with visual indicators for drivers sharing the road, as well as easy-to-use, interactive steering capabilities. Responsible for the electronics, Verbeek embedded a series of LED lights inside the handlebars. Not only does this enhance the over aesthetics of the futuristic ride, but allows for cyclists to stay safe and visible at night.

Verbeek’s advanced lighting system boasts left and right turn signals along brake lights, much like the recent Kickstarter campaign for the Lumos smart helmet. Aside from that, it even includes various disco modes for a little extra pizazz. Switching between modes is done by simply pressing a red button located alongside the hand grips or by connecting the IOMbike to your smartphone using the IOMbike’s accompanying Android app.

At the heart of the unit lies an ATmega328P, while a Bluetooth module enables wireless communication between the bike and the app. What’s more, riders can unlock all sorts of different features such as a speedometer and odometer.

“The idea is to give feedback to the user and let them control their IOMbike,” the Maker concludes.

Want to take a closer look at the next-gen e-bike? Head over to the project’s official page here, or watch it in action below.

Samsung builds a Smart Bike

Designed by Italian frame-builder Giovanni Pelizzoli and student Alice Biotti, the Samsung Smart Bike is built around an aluminum frame that boasts curved tubes to soak up vibrations from riding on rough city streets.

As Gizmag’s Ben Coxworth reports, a rearview camera is located between the seat stays of the frame to stream live video feeds to a handlebar-mounted Samsung smartphone.

“There are four lasers built into the frame, that project a bike lane onto the road on either side of the bike, as it’s moving. Those lasers automatically come on as ambient light levels drop, as detected by the smartphone,” writes Coxworth.

“Additionally, an app on the phone uses GPS to make a note of routes that are often traveled by the cyclist. It then offers the option of notifying city officials of those routes, with the suggestion that they add officially-designated bicycle lanes.”

The frame is also equipped with a battery, Atmel based Arduino board, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth modules.

Interested in learning more? Ride on over to Smart Bike’s official page here.