Design of Safety Products

[martin carnffin]

I'm doing a Open University design course (U.K. thing) and I'm trying to come up with ideas for innovative safety products for cyclists.

Has anyone encountered situations or hazards which they've thought could have been avoided by some sort of safety product or device?

For example at the moment I'm thinking about an arm or wrist mounted LED light which would flash like a car indicator when cyclists want to make a turn.

If you've any comments about this idea or any other comments I'd be very grateful.

Thank you very much for your time

Martin Carnaffin (Nottingham UK)

[genec]

There is such a product... I have seen it on the net, it somehow reads the postion of your hand and starts blinking when your hand is horizontal. Maybe their implimentation isn't that great... don't know, I don't have it.

One thing I would like to see are good cycling gloves with reflective backs... that way when I do signal, the hand might be visible to a motorist whose headlights are aimed in my direction. I am way disappointed by manufactures that think "piping" on the edge of some fancy jacket is enough to indicate "cyclist."

[hotbike]

Yes Sir,

The safety product is called Bumpers and padded Dashboard.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/Type9Pink2.jpg
My daughter Mellisa designed this Fiberglass Ladies Bicycle.

Here is another photo, which has better contrast if you would like to make black and white photocopies.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/00000024-1.jpg

This design is based on an articulated highway truck. The fiberglass is a quarter inch thick. It is amazing that a body-on-framerail vehicle design can be executed in a monocoque construction method.

This bicycle has survived some hard impacts with cars. I believe it saved my life once.

I calculate that this vehicle can withstand a 45,000 pound impact, which is standard for trucks (lorries) in the United States. (based on frame rail dimensions four inch by six inch with quarter inch thickness equalling a cross sectional area of five square inches @ yield strength of 45,000 pounds per square inch and a safety factor of five x.)

http://mywilson.homestead.com/gallery69.html