Smart Safety Device for Cyclists

How did we come up with the Smart Safety Device for Cyclists?

Recently, there has been a rise in the number of cases of accidents involving cyclists and other road users. Especially in Singapore, where the popularity of cycling has increased. This increases risk of accidents among cyclists and pedestrians.

In addition, the number of bicycle thefts worldwide is also increasing at an alarming rate.

Our team realize that there is currently no safety device in the market for cyclists to install on their bicycles. So we have decided to come up with this smart safety device that is easy to use and keep cyclists safe.

Our aim and objective :

We aim to reduce the number of accidents involving cyclists and other road users by creating a safety device for cyclists which helps to keep cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users safe. Apart from that, our device will also help to prevent bicycle theft.

How does the device help to improve the situation?

• Prevents cyclists from accidents (Since it can detect other nearby road users, the warning alarm will notify cyclists in case of blind spots or when other road users come too close to the cyclist’s path)
• Prevents bicycle theft (If the user does not have the correct RFID card ID or when the card is removed from the card holder, the wheels of the bicycle will be locked to prevent theft or strangers from stealing the bicycle)
• Prevents other road users from accidents (At night, the cyclist can use the remote to turn on the light, hence enabling the lights located at the front and back of the bike to turn on. This will allow cyclists to be more visible to other road users at night, lowering the risk of accidents.)
• Prevents pedestrians from getting into accidents (Alerts the cyclist when there are pedestrians nearby, preventing accidents that occur due to blind spots or unexpected movements.

How do we connect to the main WIFi?

Using the device API key, we can connect the main and secondary M5Stack to wifi using hotspot.

How do pass data from the secondary M5Stack to the main M5Stack?

ESP Now

We use ESP Now to transfer data between the main and secondary controller for M5Stack. The secondary M5Stack will be the sender and main M5Stack will be the receiver.

1. Collect the data from all the sensors on the secondary M5Stack.

2.Send the data back to main M5Stack as a string concatenation with "?" delimeter to separate between the data types. Data is send back to M5Stack using ESPNow.

3.Receiver M5Stack receives data and then breaks data into array of data I list with delimeter "?".

4.Now we can access each data individually

Main M5Stack

1. Connect RFID Sensor to Port A

2. Connect servo motor to port B

3. Collect data from ESPNow from secondary M5Stack manipulate data show information to user on screen

The Main M5Stack will be placed on the handle of the bicycle, acting as a main screen to user. It will receive the data from the secondary M5Stack, then process the data and show information to user on the screen. Contain a built-in fall detector, if it sense that the handle is titled at extreme angle, an alarm will sound off to attract attention as a call for help and warn other nearby road users to stay away.

Secondary M5Stack

1. Connect PAHUB to Port A

2. Connect ENV II Sensor to PAHUB

3. Connect TOF sensor to PAHUB

4. Connect NCIR sensor to PAHUB

5. Connect LIGHT sensor to Port B

The Secondary M5Stack will be placed on the metal bar under the user's seat. All the necessary data collected from the sensors will be transferred to the main M5Stack if the user press in the correct password.

How does the Smart Safety Device for Cyclists work?

1.Unlock and locking of bicycle (RFID & Servo Motor)

If the correct RFID ID is detected with the correct password, it will play a tone to prompt user that the bike is unlocked.

If the wrong RFID ID is detected or the password is wrong, the bike will remain locked.

2. Detect Pedestrians or Nearby Road Users (TOF)

When pedestrians or other road users is within a meter radius from the cyclist, it will be detected by TOF and sound a warning alarm with a flashing RGB to inform cyclist. As the person gets closer to the bicycle, the warning alarm will increase its frequency to let the cyclist know of the impending danger

3.Detect Humidity (ENV II)

When humidity level exceeds 85%, the screen will urge cyclist to seek shelter ro avoid getting wet.

4. Detect Temperature (ENV II)

1.Heatstroke warning ( if temperature more than 40 degrees)

2.Remind user to drink water if temperature get too hot

If temperature is more than 40 degree, a notification will tell user to drink water every interval, This is to ensure the cyclist does not get dehydrated and possibly getting a heat stroke.

5. Light (Light Sensor)

It detect the ambience lighting condition in analog value. If the analog value is more than 500, it will show the use the day icon .If the analog value is less than 500, it is night time or in dark places, the device will automatically turn on and adjust the intensity of RGB Bar colour to enhance the visibility of cyclist to other road users.

6. Detecting user temperature (NCIR)

If the users' temperature is higher than 38 degree Celsius, an alert will be displayed on the screen to notify the user. This is to ensure the safety of the user by reminding them to take a rest and not to cycle while they are not feeling well. It helps to protect the cyclist and other road users well being.

Problems We Faced During This Project

1. Shortage of time given ( Some teammates are unable to match the time and date given hence it was hard to find a perfect time to match up with everyone )

2. Tight deadlines/due date ( As we have other module projects and different teammates to cope with. It was difficult for us to complete our project as all the module project mostly fall on the same week/day of submission )

3. Miscommunications ( As our teammates have different idea for the project and when we sound out about the project idea we might not agree with each other thus result in unintentionally conflict in between )

4. Limited information given from websites ( When we do our research for our project, websites such as google or yahoo are not very supportive with the necessary information that we need. Most of them gave us a very vague information or other information's that are not match )

5. At first we tried to use EZdata to transfer between the main and secondary M5 stack however the connection was unstable and unreliable so we decided to change to ESP now.

6. We also have done research and use the M5 stack remote however we found out that it didn't work with the EZ data so we decided to change to physical button on the M5 stack.

What We Have Learn

1. Time management is important as without being able to manage our time wisely we will not be able to keep up to date.

2. This project helps us to understand more about M5Stack and its functions as we will be more prone on how to use each feature in different areas.

3. Due to the limited features of the item given to us, we have to think of many ideas and ways to fit in.

4. We have to do a lot of research to find evidence that proves that our product will be useful.

5. There are many products out there in the market or around the world. In order to make a product that is useful, efficient and beneficial we did a lot of homework for it.