NEWGEIN – Most people know that it is not wise: cycling in the dark without a light. Yet even people who have good bicycle lights regularly forget to switch them on. Three technicians from Cals College in Nieuwegein have come up with a solution for that problem: a smart mirror.
The mirror hangs in bicycle shed De Pomp in Nieuwegein and reminds cyclists to switch on their lights. The first results are positive. About 46% of the cyclists who approached the smart mirror without bicycle lights turned it on after seeing the message on the mirror.
Hidden camera
How does it work? A hidden camera and a screen are hidden in the mirror at the exit of the parking facility. As soon as someone leaves the bicycle shed, the camera sees whether this person is approaching the exit with or without a bicycle and whether the bicycle lighting is on or not.
Depending on what the mirror registers and the time of day, the mirror shows an appropriate message: ‘Show yourself! Saves you €60’ for cyclists without working lights; or ‘You are seen! That’s safe!’ for cyclists with working bicycle lights.
The students of Cals have also thought about the privacy of the cyclists. The camera has a low resolution, which makes it impossible to recognize specific people.
‘People just like to look at themselves’
The three exam candidates who came up with the mirror follow a Technasium program at their school. This is a program for havo and athenaeum students with an interest in the world of science and technology. After the students had come up with the idea, the province of Utrecht developed the product as a pilot in collaboration with a company from Nijmegen.
The idea behind the mirror is simple. “When I go somewhere, the first thing I look at is the mirror, because I just love myself,” laughs Raphael Hellingman, one of the three creators. “People just like to look at themselves.” The client could not ignore that.
A little surprise
But the fact that the mirror was actually made was a little surprise for the boys. “The client had tried to reach us via LinkedIn, but someone who is in high school doesn’t look at that very often,” says Hellingman.
In the end, the company managed to get in touch with the creators of the mirror. They were invited to come and admire the mirror. “I was quite surprised, because they had implemented our plan in the garage where I always park my bike when I go to Cityplaza.”
Hellingman was also pleased with the execution, although it was not exactly the mirror he had originally conceived. “It is a bit smaller than I expected.” Fortunately, it all works properly. “That was the intention.”