Young British engineers have been thinking about bicycle safety - with success: two design studies on the subject of safe cycling won this year's "James Dyson Award" presented by the high-tech hoover manufacturer.
The first prize went to the so-called Reactiv jacket, which is primarily designed to make travelling on two wheels in large cities safer. The highlight: an accelerometer in the jacket detects movement, causing the colours of the LEDs on the back to light up green when the rider accelerates. If the driver brakes, they change colour to red. A toggle switch in the sleeve of the jacket, which uses the arm movement when signalling a turn, turns yellow LEDs in the sleeve into "indicators" when turning.
Green "arrows" on the back signal the acceleration process, registered by motion sensors
London design student Michael Chen, who developed the award-winning luminous jacket, reports on his test ride with the prototype of the innovative cycling clothing: "I cycled for hours in the dark through London wearing a waterproof jacket costing ten pounds sterling (around 12.50 euros, editor's note) with light-emitting diodes stuck to a luminous strip. For the first time, I noticed that cars drove past me more slowly, gave me more space and that drivers and passengers made eye contact with me."
Juror and sponsor James Dyson praised the integrated "wheel indicator" as particularly clever.
The light-up jacket, of which only the prototype exists, will probably not be available in stores any time soon - the inventor does not (yet?) have the financial means to start mass production. Of course, Chen hopes that this will change as interest in the jacket grows...
Second place in the James Dyson Award also went to an invention for cyclists that is also designed to improve driving safety. A team of Canadian engineering students designed the "one-handed wheel brake lever", a braking system especially for people with physical disabilities.
You normally need two hands to cycle safely. The "one-handed bike brake lever" integrates both brake levers into one handlebar. The operation is the same as with a standard brake lever. James Dyson comments: "The device could also solve another safety problem: By activating both brakes at the same time, you could avoid flying over the steering wheel when braking and sustaining nasty injuries."
The James Dyson Award is supported by the James Dyson Foundation, which is trying to counter the danger of engineering subjects falling behind in the UK. In Germany, the trend away from science and engineering subjects has been halted: in 2007, there was a ten per cent increase in the number of new students in mechanical/process engineering. The winner of the James Dyson Award will receive a cash prize of £5000 and £1000 for their lecturer, professor or university. The runner-up receives £2000 cash and £500 for their university. This year, 14 countries sent the winners of national competitions to compete for the design award. It offers young developers the opportunity to present themselves on an international level.
Further information on the prize and the promotion of young engineers can be found at:
