IH02-JohannesLeholm
From IEOR 170 Spring 2007
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Recently I have had a lot of problems with my bike. I live about a mile from campus and have three options to get to class: 1) Drive 2)bike 3)Take bus. Driving is fine except that it costs to buy gas, costs for parking (either in time to find free, permit, or tickets), and is sort of wasteful. Riding the bike is a good alternative; it's quick, costs virtually nothing, and it's for you. The problem is, diving is easier. Taking the bus is frustrating and can easily take longer than the other options. Oh, and walking is an option, but that takes a long time -- might as well just take the bus.
[edit] Problem Description
The problem is that biking is almost just as quick as driving, costs nothing, and is pretty good for me, yet I don't really do it too often. There is always lack of motivation when it comes t getting out the old bike. Also when I'm biking I usually get no feedback as to how well I am doing. When driving, for example, it is customary to precariously race whenever and wherever I am. Also I can easily time voyages and compare them to my rivals to see how well I do over the open road. Many map websites even provide distances and times.
My project proposal consists of two products that can easily be integrated so that more people are motivated to bike. The first part is specially designed hardware sitting on the bike with odometer, GPS capabilities, and some sort of transmitting technology (like bluetooth). The second part would be a biking or mapping community where data from the hardware could be easily uploaded. The important data would be when and where the biker was at specific locations. Although this information can technically be derived from just a GPS radio, the odometer+clock combination is to verify the speed of the bike (GPS units aren't perfect).
The GPS unit would have the capabilities of any GPS unit, and really would be able to be used anywhere. However, for the user, it plugs into the bicycles odometer and also has a some sort of flash memory or small hard drive to store the biker's data. This file is easily synchronized with a computer program on the users notebook or desktop and can be added to the mapping or bicycle community maps through common web APIs.
The point of the community (which already exist) is to get to know bikers in the area and who travel the same journey. Also, you would be able to compare your data with people that travel the same lengths and see who bikes faster or slower, etc. This would encourage more people to bike and be fun for people trying to improve times with other bikers. It also would allow them to meet other bikers and be so much fun. Also for the adventuring type,exploring new paths would be fun to show off to the biking community.
[edit] Target User Group
the users of this product would initially be bikers. They already love to bike and go on long tours with their bikes and their friends. Tracking their treks and times would be important to record their progress and their locations. This would also help them find other bikers on their level for group tours.
The second target could be the casual biker. Since the product is designed to really work anywhere, the unit could be used for general use, then easily attached to and from the bike. Those with less motivation could use it to track their progress as well, and potentially see what times they could be achieving. For example, I would buy the product and be then would have fun comparing times and dates with other people. this could be a gateway activity as my interest will swell and I would then want to start getting into serious amateur events.
The third type of user is the environmentalist. Sure that hybrid saves on gas, but a bike is zero emissions. The community would help new comers learn the 'ins and outs' of biking and they would find the best paths to get to where they want to go.
[edit] Context
The piece of hardware comes in two parts:the odometer and the GPS unit. The odometer is permanently attached to the bike on the rear or front wheel. A passive transmitter sits on the spokes and receiver sits on the frame. A wheel revolution is recorded each time the receiver passes the transmitter. That data is fed through a wire to the clock unit. This piece of equipment is always on the bike.
The second piece is a small detachable radio. This hooks on the a platform that is permanently connected to the bike and is designed to rest on the handle bars. The screen shows map and possibly directions to pre-programed destinations. Inside the unit is some sort of tranmitting device radio, like bluetooth.
The data is uploaded to the web. Maps are automatically highlighted, average speeds and times are also calculated for the whole trek, or could be calculated for different legs if the user queries this information. Also users would be able to query information from other bikers who traveled on similar paths and see their times for legs of treks.
