Bike Tracker
With more bikes than people, the Netherlands reports over 100 000 bike thefts each year. Our bike tracker ensures your trusty steed is covered.
Challenge
Bike trackers are useless with a dead battery. Current bike trackers on the market have a short battery life, which forces users to constantly charge them. This project is a solution to a maintenance-free bicycle tracker.
Approach
We studied all stakeholders affected by bike theft to grasp the complexity of the problem and ensure all parties were accounted for. We also analyzed a variety of technologies, mounting placements, and working principles to maximize the battery life of the tracker.
Result
Our tracker is encapsulated inside the aluminum seat post tube and offers up to 10 years of autonomy. This is achieved by reducing the number of location update intervals and using the movement of the bicycle as the update trigger. The system uses an app to notify users of their bike’s location.
Location information from the bike is stored in the cloud and sent to the user’s phone.
Location information is only shared when the bicycle moves. If no movement is detected, the tracker’s CPU will power down to save battery. The user’s app will display the last location of the bike.
Location information is only shared when the bicycle moves. If no movement is detected, the tracker’s CPU will power down to save battery. The user’s app will display the last location of the bike.
The combination of the hub dynamo, seat post mount and PV cell energy harvesting was determined to be the optimal configuration.
The tracker internals are stored inside of an inconspicuous aluminum seat post. Users replace their existing seat post with the tracking seat post and then install the saddle.
The tracker internals are stored inside of an inconspicuous aluminum seat post. Users replace their existing seat post with the tracking seat post and then install the saddle.
The bike tracker seamlessly integrates into the bike making it undetectable by theives.
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