Inspiration

We enjoy bicycling, both as a healthy method of transportation and recreational pasttime. We wanted to find a way of making biking in the city more relaxing and safer for everyone.

How it works

Ultrasonic sensors monitor the bicyclist's blind spots in real time, with that sensor input processed through an Arduino Uno. When the system detects an approaching vehicle in the blind spot, it provides feedback to the bicyclist via corresponding LED lights.

Challenges I ran into

We implemented the code on the Arduino Uno fairly quickly, and tried to see if we could also use an Intel Edison for the same purpose. Due to the differences in speed of pin switching from input to output mode between the two platforms, this necessitated a change in the logic of the code. We found this change to be quite difficult, and had to return to the Arduino implementation due to the time constraints of PennApps.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We successfully found an error in our code after we had no idea where to start trouble-shooting. We also correctly predicted the delay that would be expected when using the same code we used on the Arduino Uno for the Edison.

What I learned

We learned how to test which part of our system was not working by wiring voltage directly to it instead of monitoring the end output and trying to work backwards.

What's next for Ultrasonic Distance Gauge Warning System

Our next step is to use the Arduino Uno's bluetooth capabilities to communicate with the LEDs wirelessly and to integrate speakers into the handlebars to emit an audible warning in addition to the visual alert.

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