Kickstarter Campaign to fund batch production of a Bicycle Movement Alert

update

information has come to light of there being an impressive-looking movement-detector + alert-transmitter device out there in existence , hence have purchased one for testing.. will then assess whether there is any scope for a specific Bicycle Movement Alert app. or stand-alone product..

originally posted,

From recently seeing the begging-bowl of an 'all-singing, all-dancing' bit of gadgetry to assist cyclists, I've been inspired to present to kick-starting cyclists:

an idea to help us relax in social scenarios such as being in a pub or cafe.

The idea is that you, the socialising cyclist, are notified if your bicycle moves, hence you can focus all of your attention onto the social scenario instead of worrying about your bicycle and wasting effort to look over your shoulder to check that it remains locked to where you left it.

So, to place this idea onto Kickstarter (and vastly improve this or more recently this page so that it has the best chance of attracting cash donations to its cause), the Project needs some LFGSSer assistance / team members:

in the next three weeks,

• video: would anybody like to be involved in the production of a promo video?

• graphics: would anybody like to sketch out a story-board, which explains visually the idea?

(perhaps recent graduates in related fields might appreciate the opportunity to showcase their skills and talents?)
((or advertising artistry, @XH))

Got product?

^

on a serious note, this could be a good thing, good luck.

didnt you show me a prototype that used Bluetooth to connect to an android app at norths at some point?

Lovely idea though.

hey amey - yes, Norths was graced with a working prototype, will be up the Flask soon, maybe this Tues,

Best of luck, seems like a brilliant idea!

have a graphic designer (cousin) in his last year who might be up to it. will let you know.

thanks hma, but keener to keep it within the London Cyclist community - if possible;

was encouraged by meeting Atomic 22 at Spin London on Saturday;

they thought it was a good idea, and its compatible with their idea of securing components to the frame;

as for a Kickstarter campaign, despite surely unsurpassable global coverage, i've heard a suggestion that BS's $150k target was only reached via $40k of in-house pledges;

but, as for the #BicycleMovementAlert, the aim was for it to be produced within say £50, so 100 units would only need £5000 to be raised - as for a minimum production run - i've made an enquiry to a professional..

and what about integrated tracker's spybike?

Dude, enough links! I'm lost.

@hma - the SB is a GPS Tracker; the idea of the BMA is that you can relax more in social scenarios, knowing that you'd be alerted if your bicycle moves, hence giving you the chance to prevent your bicycle leaving your vicinity (hence a GPS tracker would be backup - in case the thief is too quick/big-looking/menacing for you!!)

yeah, but it also has a movement sensor. it triggers when the bike is moved and sends a text. gps tracking comes afterwards..

we had a project, my gf and i - movement sensor and a hook integrated in a u-lock body and a gps tracker in the frame (we have all the documentation and manufacturers with chosen parts and everything). it would have done the same thing as the spybike. when we finished the project, we heard about the spybike and cancelled all as integrated trackers had a better solution. only flaw of the sb is that it's only available for os a-head forks. (and the spylamp is a joke atm)

oh.. and of course. tolvajkergetok.hu - a hungarian team that tested the spybike with success.. they are expanding in hungary right now - major cities already have tolvajkergetok-groups (tolvajkergetok meaning thief-pursuers (raw translation))

they have a series of videos on their site - you may not understand a thing but i assure you that the spybike alerts you when your bike moves and offers gps tracking.. not trying to sabotage your project but in my opinion it seems a bit pointless. (of course competition can drive prices down but can you make it cheaper?)

yeah, but it also has a movement sensor. it triggers when the bike is moved and sends a text. gps tracking comes afterwards..

think of the BMA as a 'Twitter' (barebones product) response to other producer's Facebooks (more 'all-singing, all-dancing'). I've a feeling that the text message is triggered by GPS movement, so an actual movement sensor (tilt switch / accelerometer) could be calibrated to give a better indication that there is some bicycle movement, which could be a theft;

this is why it would be great to bring out a small (usable) version of the product that was open source and tweakable by code/hack-minded cyclists - to get optimal setups..

{comms are ongoing to this end!}

to reinstate the 'point' of the BMA: its purpose is to give the cyclist an opportunity to prevent the theft of their bicycle, before the thief has made their getaway!!!

I've a feeling that the text message is triggered by GPS movement

well, it's not..

So if I move a locked up bike fractionally, say 20cm, to allow me to lock to the other side of a rack, will someone come bowling out of a pub to knock me out?

probably, yes

So if I move a locked up bike fractionally, say 20cm, to allow me to lock to the other side of a rack, will someone come bowling out of a pub to knock me out?

the BMA activating cyclist - depending on movement sensitivity notification preferences - would very likely be notified (as i'd expect most cyclists to want to be notified about a 20cm move!), so would then be able to peer over their shoulder, or gain a line-of-sight such that they could see what's going on with their beloved bicycle; investigating further where necessary, if your movements looked suspicious!

..perhaps then sparking conversation with somebody who might also see the benefit of having a BMA!!

i see the benefit. i think onyerbike does too. but it has already been made and if you can't do it cheaper, there's no point to it.

i see the benefit. i think onyerbike does too. but it has already been made and if you can't do it cheaper, there's no point to it.

has a specific #BicycleMovementAlert already been produced?
(in contrast to a GPS tracker which has a text-message notification feature)

the Bike Spy GPS-tracker is around £100 so it seems achievable to make a BMA for much less (the more units, the merrier the price obviously); hopefully there are enough early adopters to pay the premium enabling batch-production!

i'm starting to understand.. you only want a movement alert. well, as a standalone product it does not exist (to my knowledge).

but if it's moving and stolen by the time you get out to see what's happening (maybe the text catches you with your pants down in the toilet and you don't want to ask your date in stilettos do get the thief) i think you'd want a gps tracker too.. >> two separate products mean two batteries to charge, two parts of the bike to dismantle, two sim cards (!)

see my problem?

if it's moving and stolen by the time you get out to see what's happening (maybe the text catches you with your pants down in the toilet and you don't want to ask your date in stilettos do get the thief) i think you'd want a gps tracker too

the BMA prototype uses Class 2 Bluetooth (range: 30m), so it can connect in real-time with your BT mobile phone, and so would any début batch-produced BMA until better technology comes along (maybe better BT tech; or, somebody electronicises a better radio-wave version or a different tech);

once a BMA-activitator has feedback from the BMA indicating potentially suspicious activity, they'd have to be quick off the mark; ideally the app would give progressive feedback to the activator so that they could get their skates on if the bicycle was moving a lot (indicating its been unsecured: via a broken lock)!

were the thief to escape with the activator's bicycle - if the BMA idea was to catch on - the activator could use the BMA app to alert other users / community-members in the vicinity: a picture of their bicycle flashing up on users' phones, enabling them to look out for the stolen bicycle;

in addition to the above, a potential BMA-GPS edition would be able to show users where on a map the bicycle thief was, enabling them the opportunity to apprehend the bicycle;

basic product idea is simply the movement alert, but there's much potential to develop the product/idea further..

.. although, looks like these guys have got something out there first!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lock8/lock8-the-worlds-first-smart-bike-lock

anybody want to take them on?!

LFGSS-BMA Working Group

would need:

• graphic designer
  
• website promo person
  
• mobile phone app programmer(s)
  ..
  

brief update: found a chap at London Hackspace with electronics expertise (who has even worked with the Integrated Trackers founder); he's keen to assist building a ready-to-use BMA, so this prompts a question to be asked to as wide an audience as possible: do people who ride bikes want a BMA (say for £10 or under), would they find such a product useful, and are they prepared to stump up the cash..

.. lean-start-up style, before doing any more on this, the question has to be asked (essentially a test); but to really ask that question to as many potential customers/users/purchasers/DIYers of the product as possible,

are there any forum-mongers out there who like the concept of a bicycle movement alert, with the skills to put together a graphically attractive proposition, or assist on a team-effort??!