Overview
Pedestrians, motorists, and other cyclists are usually unaware of how fast a cyclist is traveling on their bike. Sometimes, as a pedestrian, you might find yourself misjudging the speed and intentions of an oncoming cyclist. In this imagined physical computing project, I will present a problem and my suggested solution. 

Scenario
One night, you walk up to a busy city intersection. The light is green and the crosswalk sign up ahead is informing you that you cannot cross the street. You look at the oncoming traffic and see a crowd of headlights heading in your direction. You also notice a cyclist with a blinking light heading your way on the bike path. The traffic light eventually turns yellow and the cyclist starts to speed up on their bike.

Oncoming traffic

Meanwhile, you make preparations to cross the street. You again look at the oncoming traffic and notice that some cars are beginning to slow down. Again, you notice the cyclist, but you're still unsure as to how fast they are going and whether or not their intention is to blow through the light. In any case, the light finally turns red. The cyclist speeds up and is determined to run the red light. You notice that traffic has come to a stop and decide to step off the curb. As soon as you step off, BAM! The cyclist collides into you sending you and the cyclist flying onto the street pavement.

Solution
My imagined physical computing device is a bike light that changes the frequency of the light blinking based on the speed of the bike. It is a form of calm, ambient signaling from the cyclist to pedestrians, motorists, and other cyclists within the vicinity. With this device, the cyclist is now able to communicate to the people around them both their intentions and the speed of their bike.

Infrared lights detect the speed of the bike spokes

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.