Every day, about two people in the U.S. succumb to fatal cycling accidents while more than 130 suffer harmful injuries. But in an era of increasing concern for the environment, cycling is an important mode of transportation, one that could begin to replace gas-guzzling cars, trains, and buses. Indeed, Americans could save the nation an estimated $7 billion in commuting costs if they biked instead of drove to neighborhood destinations such as the bank, post office, or grocery store.
In an effort to make cycling safer—and thus a more desirable mode of transportation—students in Distinguished Professor Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Constantinos Mavroidis’ Biomedical Mechatronics Laboratory have created a “Smart Bike,” which they call the Interactive Bicyclist Accident Prevention System, or iBAPS.
The project was part of the undergraduate student Capstone Design course, in which five senior mechanical engineering students worked, read more…