A group of Syracuse University students have designed a device that will improve safety and provide navigation assistance for cyclists.

The BikeRules device is a pair of handlebar-mounted turn signals. It’s linked to a mobile app with a Bluetooth 4.0 enabled navigation system. Users can enter a destination into the app which will provide directions and as they approach a turn, the device will alert the rider, and warn drivers, with an automatic blinker. The device was the winning concept at this year’s Student Sandbox Demo Day event last week.

Unlike traditional navigation systems which aren’t designed with cyclists in mind, BikeRules will map out the most bike-friendly routes and won’t take users through highways or steep hills, said Jeremy Mingtao Wu, a graduate mechanical and aerospace engineering student who came up with the idea for the device.

“Bikes share the same road as cars whereas cars are much safer. They have airbags, safety belts, but cyclists only have helmets so that’s a problem for cyclists,” Wu said. “Real safety for cyclists and navigation is the main concern.”

The BikeRules app also has fitness and social media features: users can see how many miles they cycled and how many calories they have burned and share it with their friends, he added.

The idea for BikeRules came about when Wu first arrived at SU last year and decided to take a tour of the downtown area on his new bicycle. But during his ride, Wu encountered obstacles like getting lost without a navigation system and nearly falling off his bike because of potholes.

After this experience, Wu developed an interest in cycling and started conducting research on cycling related deaths and injuries. He discovered that there are two cycling deaths every day and six injuries every hour in the United States. Wu decided to create a system to address the safety and navigation issues that cyclists face.

Wu created the first prototype in a sustainable manufacturing class where he met teammates Xinyu Wang, Jason Zhu and Chenchen Shen, who are all cycling enthusiasts. Zhu, a graduate mechanical engineering student, came up with the device’s name and Wang, who once biked from Syracuse to Los Angeles, designed the BikesRules logo.

“As evident from the result, they worked really nice together,” said Young Bai Moon, who taught the sustainable manufacturing course and is now the group’s advisor. In the class, students formed teams and developed a product. Moon then helped them to create a prototype.

Moon was a great help to the group, Wu said, and helped them push their idea further to create a product and prototype. Moon also introduced the group to the Syracuse Student Sandbox at the Tech Garden. Wu spent this summer working at the Sandbox developing the device’s circuit board and the hardware, using 3D printing technology to make it more affordable.

“There are lots of connections that the Tech garden has brought to us, like helping us estimate production costs, how to make a patent, how much it will cost to start up,” Wu said. ”It’s a very nice environment to collaborate.”

An old friend helped him design the mobile app and Chen Liu, a graduate information management student, developed the user interface.

The hardest part of creating BikeRules was programming the app and creating the circuit board. None of the group members had any coding experience so they had to ask friends to for help, Zhu said. They also need additional funding to continue the product.

While the group does not have any investors yet, they have received a great amount of support from friends, faculty and, after a recent article in the Syracuse Post-Standard, local cyclists.

“People keep writing to me telling me they like the products and asking if they can buy it now or if they can try the prototype. This has really encouraged us to (move) forward with the product,” Wu said.

In addition to improved safety and navigation, the group hopes to use BikeRules to change people’s minds about bikes and promote a healthier and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Said Shen: “People bike just for short rides — (with BikeRules) they can travel longer distances.”

Published on August 28, 2014 at 12:01 am