For those who have been requested to think about issues that could be made out of date by AI, bicycle radar programs in all probability would not be on the prime of the record. That might quickly be the case, nonetheless, if the Survue lives as much as its maker’s claims.
Manufactured by firms equivalent to Garmin and Trek, current radar programs are designed to warn cyclists of motorized autos which are rapidly approaching from behind. They usually take the type of a rear-facing seatpost- or saddle-mounted module that sends out radar pulses which echo off any autos inside a set distance behind the bike.
The module receives these echoes and analyzes them to find out how distant every car is, and how briskly it is closing in. Customers are alerted to doubtlessly harmful autos by an audible alarm on their wirelessly related biking pc or smartphone, which additionally offers a visible show on its display.
In accordance with Maine-based entrepreneur Josh Fox, nonetheless, such programs focus an excessive amount of on the velocity of approaching autos whereas not accounting for different elements. That is the place the Survue is available in.
Fox first obtained the thought for the system seven years in the past. At the moment he commonly towed his toddler daughter in a motorbike trailer whereas biking, plus he was mentoring a highschool robotics group that was exploring using pc imaginative and prescient expertise for estimating distance to targets. Quick-forward to 2024, and the Survue has hit Kickstarter.
The radar-less system makes use of a digital camera and AI algorithms to not solely spot and gauge the velocity/location of rear-approaching autos, but additionally to find out the kind of car and its projected trajectory.
If the car is deemed to pose a collision hazard, the person is warned by way of each an audible alarm on the system and an (non-compulsory) iOS/Android app on their handlebar-mounted smartphone. That app additionally shows the velocity, location and trajectory of the car relative to the bike.
On the similar time, the Survue mechanically data video of the approaching car on an included MicroSD card, in case the footage is subsequently wanted in authorized proceedings. The system additionally triggers its built-in 80-lumen tail mild to start out flashing quicker, to alert the motive force to the bicycle owner’s presence.
Tipping the scales at 125 g (4.4 oz), the Survue has a claimed runtime of six hours per battery-charge, and is reportedly able to detecting autos from a distance of as much as 110 meters (361 ft). Assuming it reaches manufacturing, a pledge of US$215 will get you one – the deliberate retail worth is $329.
It needs to be talked about that Fox is not the one individual to have had the thought for an AI-based rear-facing car warning system. US startup Velo.AI is already promoting its bigger and heavier dual-tail-light Copilot for $399 – though the corporate is presently out of inventory. AlpsAlpine additionally manufactures a tool known as the RS 1000, which is presently listed as being unavailable.
The Survue is demonstrated within the following video.
Survue: The Sensible Bike Gentle For Protected & Assured Rides
Sources: Kickstarter, Survue