P13265Motorcycle Safety Lighting and Portable

Electronics Charging SystemSystem Design Review – 12/21/12

Who are we?Mike Baer – Program Manager

-5th Year Mechanical Engineer - BS/MEng-Focus: Business and Automotive Concentration-Work Experience: Toyota – Crash Safety

TJ Binotto – Team Facilitator-4th Year Electrical Engineer – BS/MS-Focus: Control Systems-Work Experience: Lockheed Martin – GPS3 Systems

Eric Dixon – Lead Electrical Engineer-5th Year Electrical Engineer – BS/MS-Focus: Analog and Mixed Signal IC Design-Work Experience: Intel – Xeon Design Implementation

Tyler Davis – Lead Engineer-5th Year Mechanical Engineer-Focus: Aerospace Concentration-Work Experience: Parker Aerospace – Gas Turbine Fuel Systems

Ben Shelkey – Scribe-5th Year Mechanical Engineer-Focus: Alternative Vehicle Design-Work Experience: Vicor Corp - Automation

Background• Merriam Webster defines Conspicuity as:

– “The quality or state of being obvious to the eye or mind; attracting attention”• Hurt Report

– Motorcyclist safety study performed by Henry Hurt, published in 1981– Of the accidents analyzed, ~75% of motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle– “Failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause

of motorcycle accidents”– “I never saw them” is common phrase by motorists after hitting motorcycle rider

• Motorcycle Conspicuity Study– Study conducted in mid 90’s by Susan Wells in New Zealand investigating relationship correlation

between motorcycle crashes and conspicuity of rider– “Bright colors, reflective or fluorescent clothing are thought to enhance conspicuity by

increasing brightness contrast between object and its surroundings”– Riders wearing any reflective or fluorescent clothing had a 37% lower risk than other riders– “Surface of full face helmet is no more than 20% of that of upper torso garment”– Conclusion: “Increasing the use of reflective or fluorescent clothing, white or light coloured

helmets, and daytime headlights…could considerably reduce motorcycle crash related injury and death.”

Market Survey• Using online media (Motorcycle Forums, Reddit) and face-to-face interviews, we have

conducted 64 interviews of mostly motorcyclists– (as of 12/21/12)

• Core customer focus is motorcyclists, but also including other powered two wheeled vehicles (eg scooters)

• Aimed for wide range of demographics, but weren’t targeting cruisers or touring bikes (eg Honda Goldwing)– This demographic already has multiple storage options on vehicle, and sometimes has existing

methods of charging electronics

• The following slides summarize key findings/ observations.

*For complete and most current results, visit EDGE for a link to the survey.

DemographicsMajority of respondents are sportbike riders

Most common ride time between 30 minutes- 1 hour

Riding Conditions

~Half ride in Winter

75% ride in wet conditionsAlmost all ride at night

Backpack Usage

~50% wear backpacks frequently

>50% carry bulky objects

Electronics Charging

Majority have no method of charging electronics

Micro USB compatibility is a necessity

70%22%8%*Note: These

question was added later, so not all those surveyed answered.

Product Features• Participants were asked to rank relative importance of

different features for riding gear and safety equipment.• These features are: Size, Weight, Appearance, Functionality, and

Safety– Participants ranked Functionality and Safety as most important

features– Size and Weight were next important– Appearance was least important

Vehicle Lighting Systems

Almost all felt that lights increase visibility to other motorists. Additionally, 67% of riders currently do not have LED lights on vehicle.

Riding Gear

77% would consider upgrading existing lights to LED lights. Additionally, 47% would consider helmet mounted lights

Accident Statistics

While opinion-based, half believe that accident could have been avoided if vehicle were more visible

Target Market• Below is short summary of survey responses. This information was

used to more precisely define our target market.• Our target market is motorcyclists who:

– Often or always wear backpacks• Carry bulky items, such as books or laptops

– Ride in 4 seasons, and wet conditions (rain, fog, snow)– Currently do not have method for charging electronics (such as cell phone)

• Require micro USB charging connection– Believe visibility is important

• Utilize reflective surfaces, bright colors, and lighting systems– Would consider upgrading their existing lights to LED lights– Place importance of aesthetics on products

Sources