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Years ago a gal came up with a cool idea to project an image of a bike on the ground in front of them to get car's attention. That never caught on, but laser projected bike lanes are a thing now.
This takes it to the next step, you take that projected image with arrows in the first link, but have
the arrows indicate where you need to turn to get to whatever location you put into your GPS.
It bolts on to the frame of your bike and connects to the phone app with bluetooth. It would allow you to keep your eyes on the road while you basically have custom made temporary road direction signs guide your trip.
It would also have the best bike routes programmed in as well. You might be able to chose "Fastest" or "Prettiest scenery". Caution notes might be put up too, blinks red with "High traffic area" or "beware of mountain lions" signs light up as necessary.
Anyway, would add an element of safety like the original design, but be great for exploring since you could concentrate on the bike ride without thinking about which street to turn on or listening to that annoying voice that keeps saying "Continue to the route".
This except that arrow array pointing forward in the picture would point left at the next turn and cycle.
https://www.smh.com...20110615-1g2oi.html
By cycle I mean the inner arrow would light up then go off as the next arrow lit up making it clear it's saying "turn left". [doctorremulac3, Nov 08 2023]
new startup using laser projection to interact with AI
https://hu.ma.ne/
[theircompetitor, Nov 08 2023]
CTM® Cotton Long 5 Inch Bill Visor Baseball Cap
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BPCR712
[a1, Nov 09 2023]
Pretty underwhelming review of that Blaze light
https://youtu.be/vv...si=Q_3JLsxHiC2mpG7G
[21 Quest, Nov 09 2023]
Humane early review - bit of a letdown
https://arstechnica...replace-your-phone/
Linked only because [tc] mentioned it. But it won't project turn arrows to the rosd. [a1, Nov 12 2023]
Get directions on Apple Watch
https://support.app...hen%20you%20arrive.
After you head off on your first leg when using driving, cycling, or walking directions, your Apple Watch uses sounds and taps to let you know when to turn. A low tone followed by a high tone (tock tick, tock tick) means turn right at the intersection you’re approaching; a high tone followed by a low tone (tick tock, tick tock) means turn left. Not sure what your destination looks like? You’ll feel a vibration when you’re on the last leg, and again when you arrive. [a1, Nov 12 2023]
Prior Art - using very expensive Lasercube
https://gizmodo.com...-gps-dir-1848616436
"But there’s no reason this idea can’t be refined (and miniaturized) further and built right into a bike’s handlebars" [a1, Nov 12 2023]
Here's the LED system I was talking about.
https://www.pintere.../13370130132687716/
Perfect for this. [doctorremulac3, Nov 22 2023]
Oh boy is this close!
https://www.pintere...549650329530891670/
But they're just saying it's for signaling, not for GPS controlled directions. [doctorremulac3, Nov 22 2023]
Blaze Laserlight
https://road.cc/con...erlight-front-light
[hippo, Nov 22 2023]
Beryl Laserlight
https://road.cc/con...ryl-laserlight-core
[hippo, Nov 22 2023]
[link]
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Should be fairly simple, there must be an API from Google Maps or whatever navigation app you use to send a limited set of commands to the laser projector from the phone. |
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When I get a sec I'm gonna check Google patents. This kind of has that "no brainer" vibe where I wouldn't be suprised if somebody already not only thought of it, but patented it. |
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Maybe not, but can't count the times that the patent office has broke my heart with basically saying "baked". Not in that exact wording though. |
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Why is this better than a phone on the handlebars?/some kind of heads up display in glasses etc? |
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Your first enemy here is the ground. In order to be able to see the directions, you need to have the REFLECTION of the projection brighter than the background off a very imperfect/non-reflective surface. Because you have a projector that's on a moving/vibrating vehicle with the poor ground surface, you're going to need to go quite big to make text legible. Let's say your projection area is about 1sq ft. |
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Your second enemy is the sun. In that 1sq ft of ground, at noon, you have around 500W of visible light. You need to be brighter. Fortunately, not brighter in every color. Your eyes have 3 photoreceptors, you need to out shine the sun in only one of them, let's go with green. So you need ~125W to double the sun's power in green. You don't need double, fortunately. I don't know how much more to be clearly readable, let's say 10%. That's 12.5W. Now, your projector isn't going to be 1sq ft. |
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You have two options: a bright light, a screen and a lens. The downside here is horrible efficiency. The efficient method is scanning a powerful laser. Both mean you have light emitting from a lens say... 1sq inch. That's 144 fold more powerful, so ~1800W equivalent. You can't have that, you'll blind someone. Plus it would be expensive, hundreds of $, and power hungry. |
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This is why the concept of scanning laser projectors from mobile phones failed. Even indoors with very good projection surfaces, the lasers need to be dangerously powerful. Outdoors, competing against the sun? No chance. |
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Could be made to work easily at night however. You could even build it into a fancy headlight. |
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How visible is a laser going to be on a rough-textured black asphalt surface? Black surfaces don't reflect a whole lotta light. |
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//Why is this better than a phone on the handlebars?/some kind of heads up display in glasses etc?// |
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Well, this keeps your eyes on the road rather than looking down at your phone while driving, something that's dangerous in a car, but probably more so on a bike. This might be kind of fun too. |
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//Let's say your projection area is about 1sq ft.// |
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I'd go with much bigger, 4 x 4 maybe. Same is the link. So yea, maybe laser isn't the way to go. |
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Maybe just skip the laser and have a screen projector. Whatever gets that image on the ground most cheaply and effeciently. The main idea is projected arrows telling you where to go. How it's done would just be however was easiest/cheapest. |
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And keep in mind, don't need that much detail. Heck, you could just have a bright led powered light that has forward, right and left arrows. LEDs can get as bright as you need. Cheap too. |
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Actually lasers actually projecting arrows and whatnot onto the actual street? |
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Now imagine a busy intersection, any busy intersection.. |
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With a dozen bikes all coming and going in different directions.. |
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Can you see the absolute indecipherable mess you've made of the road with all those competing constantly shifting signals and signage? |
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We cannot suggest strongly enough that you consider individual in helmet HUDs projected onto visors for each rider instead. |
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[8th] of course would have strongly approved of the predictable chaos and carnage your idea should (hopefully?) be responsible for (and no doubt have suggested using military grade lasers for added fun). |
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It should at least prove marginally entertaining to watch (from a safe distance) during rush hour so I am a little torn over whether to bun or not ;) |
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Just a little picture of an arrow being projected by a moving bike. Nobody's going to see a projected arow in front of a bike, or anywhere for that matter and mistake it for a painted arrow. Anymore than they'd see a headlight making a spot on the ground and think it was anything other than a projection from a bike. |
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As far as dozens of bikes all in one bike jam, how often does that happen? All the bikes I ever see are solo with no other bikes around. Kids going to school would be the only time it might be an issue, but kids going to school would be the only time nobody would ever need this. |
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Nobody? Your faith in the average humans intelligence is sweet, but misplaced I fear ;D |
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I do appreciate the possible downsides of this. Trying to see why it might not work but so far I'd still want one. |
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If it wasn't more than like, $100 or something. Which means you'd have to be able to make these for $25 or less to be a viable product. |
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If the images don't project more than four or five feet (say) from the bike then I suppose that my concerns would probably be (disappointingly) groundless, much more than a few feet though and perhaps not. |
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I'm thinking two or three feet should do it. Plus the further away the brighter it'd have to be. |
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Just noticed in the picture of that gal's idea where it just shows the bike to warn people it's way too far away. Looks like ten feet or something. |
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Wear a billed cap with an extra long bill and illuminate embedded LED arrows and more detailed instructions on the underside (if you wanted it) instead of a HUD visor that covers the eyes. You could incorporate audio or haptic signals instead of visual cues with a ‘smart’ hat. A gentle tap over the right ear signals an upcoming right turn, with a double-bump when you were at the point of turning. |
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As stated, the idea is a bust but the concept of unimpaired vision and link to cellphone is great. |
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Your link is dead by the way, but I wouldn't buy a cap with annoying lights blinking in my eyes. Plus caps and helmets don't go together too well, nobody would buy it. I think people would buy the heads up street projection system. I would if it were cheap enough. But like I said, over 99 bucks, probably not. |
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But this is eminently doable. LED projectors instead of lasers, could definitely be done. LEDs have gotten insanely bright. Focus then through lenses and these things would be very readable on black roads even during the day. |
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Nice!
Only need to be able to display 6 or so icons; could be done hardware style with a rotating set of masks in front of a good light. |
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Yea, the cheaper the better. Like I said, hundred bucks, yea. More? Naa. |
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Now of course somebody might point out that just having blue tooth activated left and right turn blinkers on your handlebars would cheapest still. $30 maybe. At that point just put your phone in a holder. |
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But I wouldn't want them. Plus you don't have the safety feature of that light telling cars you're there. |
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Great for country roads, leafy lanes, and wide park bike trails, when ridden at a leisurely pace on fair, uncrowded days. |
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Not good for urban traffic melee, peleton of bikes, tight traffic, off-road trail riding, or competitive biking. |
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A better solution, considering everyone already has a helmet, is a VISOR with the signals on the underside that is attached universally to the any helmet or hat. The underside of a visor always provides contrast to the environment, which the projection lacks. A visor can make use of peripheral vision, leaving the focus of attention on the road. Constantly looking down for your projected directions is not focusing on riding. |
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For general riding: The turn signal could be in a band at the brim edge, throbbing dimly to warn of an upcoming turn and becoming brighter as the turn was approached, without requiring the rider to find his vibrating icon on an uneven road surface, taking their eyes off traffic. (Looking down “Was that a left?,” as they are swept away by the bread truck.) |
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Off-road: In this mode the visor does not warn dimly. It signals forks and turns with a non-invasive blink that does not require the rider to take his eyes off the twisting, root-infested woodland trail. The haptic signals at the temples could also be implemented, along with audio if desired. |
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I think the product is much more useful if it is part of the rider’s kit rather than fixed onto the bike, where it is subject to vibration (blurring), yawing right and left (as balance is maintained), and missed signals due to the fog of traffic, weather, and unpredictable conditions. The projection model is not usable in many situations, and does not perform acceptably under pressure. |
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//everyone already has a helmet// actually a lot of cyclists don't have a helmet seeing how they are unnecessary if not dangerous to wear. |
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Or do something similar to what Apple Watch does: tones and vibrations to cue upcoming turns (link). I don't use Android or Fitbit and it's been years since I had a Garmin - do any other wearables do this? |
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My Samsung Galaxy watch does that as well. |
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//everyone already has a helmet// actually a lot of cyclists don't have a helmet seeing how they are unnecessary if not dangerous to wear.// |
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Yea, I think you're better off without the stuff occluding your vision myself. I also think all the dangers of looking at a cellphone while driving are increased while on a bike. |
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Dunno, more I think about this the more I like it. |
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Also seeing that that gal got funding for a simple light with a picture of a bike, so seems like folks would be more into funding a heads up active direction navigation display designed to keep your eyes on the road, because it's on the road you need to keep your eyes on. |
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Maybe I'll make a prototype. |
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I like it sequentially strobing chevron to get your attention when a turn comes up. Just solid and all 4 pointing forward when you're on course (too much activity would be annoying) but when a turn is approaching, the chevrons, vector indicators whatever, start blinking in a pattern that indicates the direction to turn. Once you make it, just goes back to solid. The bike pic may or may not be patented, not really needed either way, the brightly lit chevron direction indicator would get car driver's attention. |
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Guess I was wrong - it's not a new idea, even though the prior art (link) demo was huge and ridiculously expensive. |
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Adding an element to this. |
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It's a long row of chevrons, 6 feet maybe. They strobe and aim at the upcoming turn, the top few that is. So with 10 chevrons, 7 are straight, 8th is 20 degrees, 9th is 30 degrees, 10th is 40 till you get to the turn they're they're aiming at a 90 degree angle. |
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And the distance isn't in distracting numbers, but in the length of the row of chevrons so you get a quick insight into how much further you have to go. |
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So you start out it's 6 feet, maybe 20 chevrons, halfway there it's 5 feet, 10 chevrons etc. When you arrive it turns off. |
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And it wouldn't be a compass like the link where it's constantly flipping around distractingly. That's just annoying. |
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I thought for sure somebody had thought of this. Unless it's been very well hidden, it hasn't. |
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Still not convinced somebody hasn't thought of it though, it's a no brainer. But with this addition, this could be a design patent, skip the whole utility patent thing. |
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But I'd do both. Unless it's out there someplace already, but weird how it's not showing up. |
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And an over-engineering thought, having the image be stabilized might be nice. |
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Everybody, check out this link I found for not only this, but basically a collection of halfbaked ideas people took to the next level. For this idea, I'm seeing everything except the GPS directions part. |
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