It is a wearable electronic device that augments stock blinkers/indicator and tail lights on your two wheeler.
Here are some important attributes of it:
It is battery operated and wireless.
It has wireless manual switch for operating in sync with stock indicators.
It can work automatically. It has a sensor module (Wireless,battery operated) attached to front forks of the two wheeler and based on the Speed,Tilt,Acceleration,Yaw, it can instruct the light module to light up in a particular manner.
It can work with Scooters, Motorcycles and Bicycles.
It can be mounted on your jacket/helmet or pillion backrest of your bike.
Need: Why do we need anything like it?
Sometimes we tend to encounter unpredictable things and situations while riding on road. Sometimes the reaction time needed to avoid a mishap is so small that one can not think of warning fellow riders/ traffic coming from behind. This results in a chain reaction in some cases.
So , if we use a system that is constantly sensing the movement of vehicle and as soon as it realizes that something is wrong, it can trigger multiple hazard patterns to warn traffic coming from behind and thus increase reaction time for them and decrease the possibility on traffic from behind colliding into the vehicle which just a moment ago did some emergency hazard dodging maneuvers.
Some riders do not really understand the significance of using indicators for changing lanes and taking turns. Some of them even develop a habit of using them only if they deep it to be fit. So, if they have a vehicle behind them but in a blind spot,they might not use indicators at all.
There are many more scenarios especially in countries like India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. where usage of this system may contribute greatly in reducing fatalities in Road Accidents everyday.
It means creating textures electronically. An analogy could be , the way we record a person speaking through a camera and can see him on a screen later.
Now with the advancements in 3D Imaging Systems and VR/AR, we can experience the incidents/moments in a way like never before.
Holographic display technologies are also there but we are still far from true holographic projections which will NOT require any kind of projection surface. The technology is still in very nascent stage. Here is an article that can give you a glimpse of the present state of affairs with the technology : https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/25/3d-holograms-trapping-particles/
Now virtual textures can record and reproduce textures. This is the most easy way to put it . A VTR ,virtual texture recorder and a VTS,virtual texture screen are the two integral elements of the system.
But Why? Why do we need any such thing.
To feel the difference in texture,smoothness,and softness of two dresses.
To double check that you are happy with the fit and finish of that expensive laptop/mobile phone/case you are about to buy online.
To check out all the available upholstery options available for 3 different cars you have shortlisted to buy.
In short, it can be said that wherever you think camera is helpful, this tech will also see its usage there. There can be many more areas in various industrial verticals and I will update the same in relevant section of this blogpost. (You can add in comments if you think of an application area of this technology)
Okay , So how can it be done?
Simple answer, by miniaturization of this. How will this miniaturization happen? By using tiny electromagnets with volume less than 0.5 cubic millimeters and piston with diameter of 0.1 millimeter. Length of it can vary from application to application and so is the travel.
Okay , let me help you understand and appreciate the idea with a simple illustration:
To increase the resolution of the virtual surface, we can use 2 (or more) types of EM actuators. For simplicity, the electronics and control part is not shown in picture.
I invite you all to provide your criticism/feedback/suggestions/inputs in comment section.
Surprisingly, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad are not in this list but given the increasing number of cars getting on roads everyday, these cities may even top the list very soon.
The advent of Metro Rail Transport System in India has proved to be big relief in conjunction with construction of new roads, highways and expansion of already existing infrastructure.
It is worth noting that congestion on roads can prove to be fatal sometimes.
Imagine a surgeon responding to an emergency call. He has to rely on traffic to save his patient.
This is just one example and quoted because most of us would agree to it.
Conventional Solutions:
There are many solutions designed and deployed to tackle this problem. Few of the solutions include:
Metro Trains.
Strengthening of public buses.
Construction of new roads and expansion of present ones.
Smarter signaling mechanisms.
There can be more but these are the ones i could think of as of now.
A better solution:
Ropeways!
Wait!.
There is a missing element here.
I like to call it "mgZero Balloon".
The idea is pretty simple:
Weight of an object is the product of its mass and force acting upon it. So any object hanging on a rope has its weight = Mass x Acceleration due to gravity.
So the rope has to exert force in opposite direction to the pod's weight. This force comes by the strength of the rope and its tension. If tension is less than the threshold, the pod will come closer to the ground.
Now, if we attach a big hot air balloon on top of these pods, so that the upward force exerted by the balloon is equal to or bit less/more than the weight of the pod, the strength of the cable needed earlier is now reduced as it has to oppose less force (mg=negligible) acting downwards now.
Now the balloon is a well designed structure and has so much of surface area that it can well be used for advertisement purposes which, in turn can let the city administration/ state government earn revenue.
Because the effective weight of pods is now Zero, the amount of energy required to propel the pods is also reduced significantly. So a BLDC motor with propeller attached mounted on each pod can now propel the pod back and forth.
Thrust vectoring can be one way of using one propeller,single direction rotation motor to achieve motion in both directions.
Remember, I said the balloons will be huge, So we can have Solar panels on the top surface to generate electricity,store it in batteries and energize both the Hot air system and propulsion system. This can be an ambitious objective but given the efficiency of solar cells reaching as high as 40%, it might not be impossible. If this works, we might have a transport system that would not require energy from the grid for its operation.
Energy required for elevators and other infrastructure would still have to come from grids though.
With the introduction of mgZero balloon, the space between two consecutive support pillars can now be increased multi-fold as compared to conventional ropeways. This would mean huge cost savings.
With the advancement in solar and battery technologies, we may have a system with zero carbon footprint in near future.
Benefits:
This system is scalable and will ensure short transit times. The placement of boarding /deboarding points will have to be strategically selected, like airports,metro interchange stations, Bus Terminals and Railway stations.
In first phase, it can be deployed on routes that are most congested.
Transportation Capacity:
10 persons per pod.
1km per minute (60kmph) transit time.
For 1 km apart stations, the frequency of pods will be 1 per minute if only one pod is present on the line.
Issues to be addressed:
What happens if cable breaks and/ or pod falls off?
Effect of weather conditions?
....contd.( Will be updated soon, feel free to feed me your thoughts/ideas).
