Group 4

The purpose of this assignment was to come up with a research topic within the emerging research field of ubiquitous computing and develop a prototype that addresses some of its major issues. For this purpose we were supposed to use phidgets.

The goal with our project is to create a prototype of a Smart Bike. The Smart Bike will make biking more comfortable, it will make the biking trip more interesting and it will make the bike harder to steal.

The assignment also included writing code to control the phidgets in the Smart Bike.

To present the results of the assignment a homepage should be created containing an introduction to the research topic, specifications for the system created, pictures of the physical model and a video describing how the end product works.

Novelty & Impact
Some of the functions that we plan to have on the Smart Bike already exists, like measuring speed and distance. GPS-tracking is also available for bikes, although it’s not as common as the measuring of speed and distance. The novelty of the Smart Bike is the RFID-lock and the heating of the saddle.

Since the parts needed to build a Smart Bike already exists and becomes cheaper as time passes by, we believe that all bikes will ha smart functions in the future. Just like all new cars today have a GPS-system, so will all bikes have RFID-locks and saddle heating (in parts of the world where it is actually cold). Measuring speed, distance, calories burnt etc. will be standard on all new bikes.

Related Works
Former racing cyclist Chris Boardman created a design for an intelligent bike in 2009 that had an “unbreakable” lock, a solar-panel powered help engine, integrated music system, spokeless wheels and a lightweight carbon fiber frame that makes the bike more aerodynamic.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/6010317/Intelligent-bicycle-of-the-future-unveiled.html

Apple is working on a bike that can monitor speed, distance, time, altitude, elevation, incline, decline, heart rate, power, derailleur setting, cadence, wind speed, path completed, expected future path, heart rate, power, and pace.
http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2010/08/apple-introduces-us-to-the-smart-bike.html

Conceptual Design
The RFID-lock will be implemented using a RFID-reader and RFID-tags which will control a servomotor to lock and unlock the bike. The lock will also have an accelerometer to measure the movement of the lock. If the bike is locked, than the lock shouldn’t move, and if it is, than an alarm will sound as someone is most likely trying to steal the bike.

The heating of the saddle will be implemented using a shoe heater (used in skishoes) connected to a relay. The heating will activate automatically when you sit on the saddle, using a pressure sensor, if the temperature is lower than e.g. 5 degrees. The temperature will be measured with a thermometer.

To measure the speed and therefor also the distance we will use a magnetic sensor that measures the number of turns the wheel does. If you know the turns of the wheel during a certain amount of time, and the size of the wheel, you can calculate the speed and the distance.

The collected data will be displayed on a LCD-screen.

The Smart Bike has a lot of functions, although some are standard functions on motorcycles. Our Smart Bike has blinkers that you control with small, easily accessible buttons on each bike handle. These buttons also controls the automatic stand, so that if you press both buttons at the same time while the bike is standing still, the stand will go down or up, depending on its current position.

The Smart Bike has a saddle that will heat itself up if it’s cold outside or if the user activates the heater from the remote application. To make sure the heating doesn’t turn on if it’s warm outside; the Smart Bike comes with a thermometer. It also comes with a pressure sensor so that the bike knows when someone is sitting on the saddle.

To measure speed the Smart Bike uses a magnetic sensor on the wheel with measures how many times the wheel spins and the time between the spins, and knowing the size of the wheel you can calculate the speed and the distance the bike has traveled since the beginning of the ride. When the bike is in motion the front and backlights will turn on automatically, if it’s dark outside. The needs for the lights are measured by a light sensor.

The Smart Bike has an electronic lock controlled by an RFID-reader and RFID-tag. The user can unlock and lock the bike with the RFID-tag. While the bike is locked, the alarm will go off if the bike is moved. The movements are measured with an acceleration sensor. Too much movement will trigger the alarm, and the alarm can be turned off with the RFID-tag.

Information from the sensors will be displayed either on an LCD-screen on the handles of the bike or on the remote application. The remote application is supposed to be on a cellphone, and the Smart Bike is equipped with a stand for cellphones. With the cellphone running the remote application the user can both unlock the bike, control the functions of the heating in the saddle, and see speed, distance, time, GPS-position. Even when away from the bike, the remote application can warn the user if the alarm on the bike has gone off.

We have had some troubles with implementing our ideas. One problem was that we could find a working pressure sensor, so we used a light sensor instead although they don’t work the same. We also couldn’t find a working LCD-display and had to borrow one from another group during the demo and during the recording of the film.

We found a children’s bike we could use to implement our functions on, but since the phidgets are relatively large and needs to be connected to a computer, the bike isn’t able the go anywhere and if we would take it outside, the phidgets would break because of the rain and the snow. Also, the bike became very ugly and vulnerable, with all the cables and sensors on it. A true ubiquitous bike would have all the sensors and cables hidden.

That is one of the current issues with ubiquitous computing today. Sensors and computers are not small enough to be invisible, and if they are, they are too expensive for most people to buy. Sensors and computers in a bike also have to be very durable, resisting rain, snow, cold and heat as well as crashes. We have tried to solve this by hiding as many of the cables and sensors as we could, but with little success.

In conclusion our prototype is just that, a prototype, and it will take a lot of work and a lot of better resources before you could ride the Smart Bike to school. Many of the functions we have implemented exist in one form or another, but always as extra accessories to the bike. In a real Smart Bike all these functions will have to be integrated, making them a part of the design and thus more invisible than they are now.

The purpose of this assignment was to create a physical model of a Smart Home. To this end we were supposed to use phidgets. The Smart Home should be designed to meet the needs of elderly persons, but we got to choose a specific target group ourselves.

The assignment also included writing code to control the phidgets in the Smart Home, create a mobile client from which a doctor or relative should be able to follow the behavior of the elderly person living in the Smart Home.

To present the results of the assignment a homepage should be created containing an introduction to the Smart Home, specifications for the system created, pictures of the physical model and a video describing how the Smart Home works.

Target group
Elderly people with bad memory (Alzheimer's disease) and other health problems, living alone.

Target group’s needs
The environment needs to be able to remind the users about important things, e.g. if someone left the cooking plate on or to lock the door at night. Since the user group consists of elderly people, they need things to be simple to use and understand, and as much as possible should be done automatically by the system.

We are also aware of falls and other accidents are acting as important factor of injury or death among target group.

Ideas for designs
Our model will cover whole house/flat with focus is on the bathroom, and we have the idea that you should be able to choose an exact temperature and amount of water you want to fill the bathtub with, since the water in a bathtub often gets too hot or too cold. When the bathtub is filled and ready the users will be notified through a LED-screen and a sound indicating that the bathtub is ready.

Another idea was to make sure that an alarm goes off if the user fall asleep in the bathtub and starts to drown, sensors detecting motion, vibrations and maybe the water level (since the water level will rise if you put your head under water along the rest of your body) can be used to determine if the user is about to drown. If the alarm goes on, the bathtub will empty itself and a doctor will be notified.

Other ideas include doors that open when a user wearing a RFID-tag approaches and lights that automatically turns of when the user is not home or if the user is asleep. Motion sensors and RFID-tags can be used to determine of the user is home. Motions sensors, along with weight sensors in the bed and a clock can determine of the user is asleep (not entirely though, the user may be in bed watching TV or something).

Contextual Information
Contextual information useful in our design includes if the user is asleep or awake, if the user is in the bathtub or not and if the user is drowning or not. The design must also know if the user is home or away. Somehow the design must also know if things have been forgotten or left on on purpose. Perhaps you want to leave the lights on when you leave home.

Components & materials required

RFID-tags and sensors for the doors.

Motion detectors in all rooms.

Temperature and vibration sensors in the bathtub.

Sliders for choosing water temperature and the amount of water in the bathtub.

LED-display to display messages.

Our Smart Home consists of a door that opens automatically for the person wearing the right RFID-tag. The RFID-tag is placed in the house owners’ shoes or cloths (in our case, the shoes) so that it’s harder to forget or lose. A green light beside the door turns on if a person with the right RFID-tag approaches the door, if someone with another RFID-tag approaches, a red light turns on.

The bathtub in our Smart Home is controlled by a lever and a rotator, making the user able to adjust precisely how much water should be in the tub and what temperature the water should have. When adjustments are set, the user presses a touch sensor and the bathtub fills up automatically. The amount of water and the temperature of the water can be seen on a LCD-screen above the bathtub. The LCD-screen also notifies when the bathtub is filling up with water and when it’s ready.

In the bedroom there is a motion sensor, and in the bed there is a pressure sensor. Together this two sensors can tell if someone is lying still in the bed for a longer amount of time, and thus conclude that the person is sleeping. If the sensors detect this, lights in all rooms, the LCD-screen and the stove will turn of automatically.

The bed has a vibration sensor which can be used to turn off or on the lights (and turn of the stove and LCD-screen). To activate it you just clap hard on the side of the bed. When the sensors register that the user is in the bed for a longer period of time, the mobile client will know that the user is sleeping or at leas lying in the bed. The same goes for the bathtub.

Knut comes home, opens the door with the RFID-key. He then wants to take a bath.
He chooses the temperature and the amount of water he wants and the bathtub automatically adjusts to his choice. He use the touch sensor to start the water to fill up, when it's ready Knut is informed by a LCD-display. He goes inside and baths, but after a while he falls asleep and starts to drown. An alarm goes off to wake him and the bathtub empties itself on water, for safety reasons. Knut’s doctor is contacted, but after a while Knut is okey so he informs the doctor by pushing a button. Then he goes to bed and  the lights  turn of automatically. When he wakes up in the morning the lights turns on and the system makes him coffee.

We had a lot of ideas for our Smart Home, but when we started building it we realized that some of the functions were not possible to implement in a physical model. We wanted the bathtub to be able to tell if someone was drowning in it, but since we didn’t have an actual bathtub with actual waters, or waterproof sensors, we were not able to implement this.

Because of the lack of sensors we also didn’t have lights and motion sensors in every room, which would have made us able to tell is someone was in that room or not. Could you do that you could also turn off or on the lights automatically if someone enters or exits a room.

Our system can never be absolutely certain that a person that lies in the bed is sleeping or just resting for a moment, so sometimes it will shut of the bathtub or the stove when it shouldn't have. This could perhaps be fixed with a timer based on the users sleeping habits, or a function that checks the amount of time it has been between the user turning on e.g. the stove and going to bed.

Another problem we didn’t solve was how the bathtub should be able to tell if the person is drowning or not. We didn’t try to implement this in the physical model, for reasons previously mentioned, but even with unlimited sensors we weren’t certain how to do it. Perhaps measure the water level when the person is in the bath with his/hers head above the water and compare it to what the level would be if the users head was under water.