Dec 17 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
A cycle that warns of obstacles
The Hague:
AFP
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The Netherlands on Monday launched its first-ever “intelligent bicycle“, fitted with an array of electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country .Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the intelligent bike prototype runs on electricity , and sports a forward-looking radar mounted below the handlebars and a camera in the rear mudguard.
A commercial-available model is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1,700 euros ($1,800) to 3,200 euros per bicycle.
The forward and rearward de tection devices on the test bike are linked through an onboard computer with a vibrating warning system installed in the bicycle's saddle and handlebars to alert cy clists to impending danger.
The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while the handlebars do the same when obstacles appear ahead. It has a cradle in which a computer tablet can be inserted, to wirelessly connect and “talk“ to the bicycle through a dedicated application.
“Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed,“ said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project.
“More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances,“ Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen said.
A commercial-available model is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1,700 euros ($1,800) to 3,200 euros per bicycle.
The forward and rearward de tection devices on the test bike are linked through an onboard computer with a vibrating warning system installed in the bicycle's saddle and handlebars to alert cy clists to impending danger.
The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while the handlebars do the same when obstacles appear ahead. It has a cradle in which a computer tablet can be inserted, to wirelessly connect and “talk“ to the bicycle through a dedicated application.
“Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed,“ said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project.
“More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances,“ Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen said.
