sciencetech-blog

comments

Cycling on city streets can be a harrowing experience, even for the most experienced of riders.

To address the problem, Samsung has launched a prototype bike that fuses traditional cycling design with modern safety features.

The Samsung 'Smart Bike' comes complete with GPS, rear-view camera, a curved frame, a live video feed and even its own laser beams.

Scroll down for video 

The Samsung 'Smart Bike'  (pictured) comes complete with GPS, rear-view camera, a curved frame, a live video feed, and even its own laser beams. Lasers projects a virtual lane on to the road to make sure motorists keep a safe distance away from the bike

Four lasers project a virtual lane on to the road to make sure motorists keep a safe distance away from the bike.

The bike can turn on the lane markers automatically, using an ambient light sensor that can tell when it is getting dark.

Additionally, a GPS system tracks people's daily routes and lets local authorities know which ones should be turned into real bike-lanes.

At the front of the frame is a magnetic smartphone mount that lets riders connect the bike to their phone to track distance, speed and direction

A rear-view camera allows cyclists to keep an eye on traffic as it approaches from behind, with video streamed to the bike-mounted smartphone

Smart BIKE protects riders and brings safety to a new level

The frame itself is made of curved aluminium, which helps absorb some of the vibrations from the road before they hit the rider.

At the front of the frame is a magnetic smartphone mount that lets riders connect the bike to their phone to track distance, speed and direction.

A rear-view camera allows cyclists to keep an eye on traffic as it approaches from behind, with video streamed to the bike-mounted smartphone.

Samsung, along with collaborators Giovanni Pelizzoli and Alice Biotti, introduced the prototype for its Smart Bike at a design trade show in Milan earlier this year.

The group has been working on a concept bike as part of its Maestros Academy, which was co-founded with designer Leo Burnett's Milan office.

The frame itself pictured) is made of curved aluminium, which helps absorb some of the vibrations from the road before they hit the rider

A GPS system tracks people's daily routes and lets local authorities know which ones should be turned into real bike-lanes

For the smart bike, the design team wanted to help reduce the number of cyclists involved in accidents.

According to the World Health Organisation, cyclists now account for five per cent of all road traffic deaths in the world.

While the Samsung bike is currently a concept design, with no plans for sale, others are working on making their versions of a smart bike a reality.

For instance, the Canadian Vanhawks Valour smartbike offers turn-by-turn navigation by using low energy Bluetooth to connect to a smartphone for directions.

The bike also has a blind-spot detector to alert a rider to potential danger by vibrating the handlebars.

Designer Ali Zahid, who has launched a Kickstarter campaign to commercialise the bike, said it will get cleverer over time by learning to avoid potholes and suggesting safer routes.

The carbon fibre bike that keeps cyclists safe in traffic