Background

Bicycles are an important form of transportation used around the world. Bicycles were invented in the nineteenth century, and only became widely adopted at the turn of the twentieth century. More bicycles have been manufactured than any other kind of vehicle. Bicycles are the daily means of transportation for countless people, they are used in many jobs, for leisure, and cycling is a sport too. There are many kinds of bicycles, such as road bikes, mountain bikes, BMX bikes, racing bikes, and so forth. Bicycles consist of a frame with handlebars, seat, pedals and drive chain, wheels, and breaks. There are many kinds of accessories for bicycles, such as mud guards, lights, puncture kits, bike packs, bicycle computers, and so forth.
A smart electronic device is a useful instrument, machine, or gadget that is controlled by electronic circuitry microcontroller boards, or sometimes by a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi, and that perform only a few limited functions. We have many different kinds of devices at home, on our person, or at school to perform useful work for us, or to provide us with information, in order to increase our well-being.

​​​​​​​​

The design brief

Design a useful battery-powered electronic bicycle accessory for a cyclist using simple electronic circuitry, or a microcontroller board like the Arduino. Your bicycle accessory should provide a useful function or information to the rider, and should attach to the bicycle or the rider when being ridden. Your accessory may, for example, improve performance, help in navigation, enhance safety or security, and so forth. It can be for any kind of bicycle, for young cyclists or adults, and for any application. Your bicycle accessory may be made of any suitable material, and it must safely enclose the electronic parts. Construct a working prototype of your electronic bicycle accessory and test it. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.
 

​​​​​The design thinking process

Follow the six stages of the design thinking process to ensure that you are thorough and do everything necessary to succeed in your design project. First, you endeavour to understand the design topic and EMPATHISE with the needs of the users. With that understanding, you can DEFINE what is essential to the product or system that you are designing. Then you IDEATE, that is, you creatively come up with ideas and develop them. The next step is to PROTOTYPE your chosen design solution in a physical form and improve it through trial-and-error. Then you TEST your design idea to elicit the opinions of users. And finally, at the end of the process, you REFLECT upon your project to benefit from the experience. Use the appropriate methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website as you proceed along the design thinking process.
​​​​​​​

Note for teachers

Undertaking a student design project using electrical parts or microcontrollers such as Arduino requires:

• teachers who are able to supervise and advise such a project;
• laboratories or workshops with electrical and electronic parts and tools;
• ​​​​​​​and students who are trained to work with electricity, tools, and equipment.

 Read the guide for teachers on Safety for the PROTOTYPE Stage for Level IV to safely supervise this design project.