Instead of paying thousands to get a smart bicycle wouldn’t it be easier to simply get a clever (and cheap for that matter) update on your regular two-wheeled city commuter? This is basically what smrtGRiPS, a start up company currently crowd-sourcing on Indiegogo, is offering to bikers willing to get rid of using maps.
Imagine you add two thick grips on your bike’s handlebars that work as a navigator. Or just think of it as a bike upgrade that makes your bike smarter, safer and more enjoyable to ride without ever needing a display. Your eyes stay put to the road, while your hands do the job... and the bike grips, of course.
The smrtGRiPs seamlessly integrate eyes-free navigation, haptic feedback (tactile feedback technology) notifications and a bike tracker. While it’s connected to your phone, the system uses a personalized app working through both iOS and Android. But it’s not only about finding your way through a new city, nor is it about getting information about road conditions ahead, but the system will also connect you to other riders. The best part, you can track your bike in case it goes missing.
In specs, things get even better
It’s only 16 mm in diameter and 150mm in length - about the size of a standard felt pen - and weighs less than 95 grams, which is about 3.5 ounces. Under normal use and considering 2 hours of commuting per day/ beacons on 24/7 the smrtGRiP, batteries will last over 3 months. One unit will cost you $68 and it will take about two minutes to install it by simply replacing the old grips with the smrtGRiPS ones.
The Indiegogo campaign started on yesterday and will close on March, 12, so we can only hope people will back it up, because we believe it could prove quite useful.
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