process book bike light project

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Light in the Dark Automatic Turn Signaling System By Connie Xu

Transcript of process book bike light project

Light in the DarkAutomatic Turn Signaling System

By Connie Xu

Table of ContentObjectives

Background

Protocol

Data Collection Sample

Observations

Conclusion

Contents

An automatic turn signal system for

bikers to increase their visibility and better com-

municate with their envi-ronment to improve their

safety.

Objectives

Biking is becoming more pop-ular due to the interests in de-creasing carbon admission and in-creasing human health; however,

as there are more bikers on the road,so the need for more cy-

clist safety precaution must be taken.

Background

Size

Flashing

Large

Location

MediumSmall

Yes

No

BicepForearm

ThighCalf

Find a dark room with as little white as possible, and all con�icting lights are o� also have the testing person wear dark clothes, anyone involved wear dark clothes.

1.Position the bike on a bike stand in the middle of a room with a �ve feet radius of space around the bike.

2.Mark from the circle the 0,45,90,130,180,etc degrees points with visible tape on the �oor.

3. Position the light source on the location at question and turn on the light.( once location is solidi�ed then test

4. At each marked position starting from O degrees, take a picture of tester on the bike turning left and right then switch to the next position until you have completed a circlewhile take pictures take note of any constrictions.

Experiment

5. Apply contraints to the experiment .

Repeat the experiment until all variables have been tested.

Prot

ocol

Data Collection Sample

From the user experiments, I learned that the most visibility I can get on the human body is if I placed the light on his/her head- the forearm has the greatest control but more obstructions, the biceps were too close to the rider’s eyes and blinded their peripherial view, the thigh and calf were too uncom-fortable, and the back was easily blocked by carrying devices like backpacks or bags. The size that worked best was the medium/small size. The large panel was too blinding when people were close and hard the make out the arrrow shape on the panel. The smallest panel was the easiest to read at 5 ft.,because I could still see the sihouette of the arrow shape, but from 10-15 ft. away the arrow shape disappeared and all I saw was a dot. The me-dium panel wasn’t as easy to read as the small panel but you could still see the shape afar without blinding people up close. Lastly the flashing definitely brought a lot or attention then compared to without flashing so that was also established as a necessary feature.

Real World Observations

Given that I was doing research on signaling bike lights for commut-ers, I wanted to know what it felt to be a commuter and experience the real struggles they might be experiencing. So to better understand my demo-graphic I decied to visit downtown SF during commtuing hours. Here are some things that I noticed :1. Most bikers do not care about the danger they have taken upon them-selves and are only concerned about the danger presented by other people.

2. There is much fluidity between using the sidewalks and using the streets.

3. The communication between driver and bikers are little to none.

These things add up showed that bikers don’t signal all that often when bik-ing, they only signal if they feel threaten, for example they signal for unpro-tected left turns or car circles but not right turns.

It seems inherent danger of being a commuting biker in the city is a side effect from convoluted traffic and lack of proper communication be-tween cyclists and cars. I don’t believe the jacket will give a permanent solu-tion with the underlying issues that come with cycling in the city but I do believe it can be temporary solution until better regulation and infrastruc-ture from the government enforces a healthier cyclist-driver relationship.

So with all the information added up, I believe my original design for the bike light best represents what is needed for the market. The experiments helped define the type of light, size and confirm the placement of the variables through user testing. Based on the user experiments, I drew a sequence of small EL panels to help people see the light from afar and up close. it is also intuitively placed on the arm- the instruments cyclists use to communicate their turns. The arrangement of light panels also allows flashing to run sequencially from the forearm to the wrist, further reinforcing the signaling message. With these important variables confirmed I hope to be further my project and to able to make a working prototype. My next step is to place the batter-ies in the pocket for easy access and disposal, and find materials that can make the panels water and shock- proof .

Conclusion