Technological advancements in cycling over the last few hundred years have mostly come from the frame construction and use. Today’s bikes can handle anything from street racing to mud-splattered single-track. There are those who ride a bike every day for their commute. Samsung built a safer smart bike for these people (Eurobest, 2014).
This bike, however, was not just about creating a safer bike for commuters, but about preservation of handcraft and blending this with technology. Samsung stated in their Eurobest submission that “We looked at the current situation in Italy: the disappearance of great handcrafting excellences despite their economical power and the dramatic unemployment of younger generations. Our challenge was to make young people look at handcrafting with new eyes, reconnecting two generations.” (Eurobest, 2014). Samsung Maestros Academy student Alice Biotti and Italian frame builder Giovanni Pelizzoli worked together to design the Samsung Smart Bike which is packed with a slew of Arduino based technology (NerdsChalk Staff, 2014), all of which is controlled and supported by a Samsung smartphone combined with excellent craftmanship and frame design advancements (Zero27, 2014).
The goal of protecting traditional craftsmanship is to make sure that craft skills and practices are passed down from one generation to the next and they are an important part of cultural heritage (Dormer, 1997). Additionally, the handicraft industry is an important source of income and jobs, in 2014 when the Smart Bike was submitted to Eurobest, Samsung reported that despite the growing rate of unemployment in Italy, there were thousands of handcrafting positions available. The problem was that younger generations were not interested in this type of work and is partly why the “Made in Italy” tradition was at risk of fading (Eurobest, 2014). After many lessons together, Alice Biotti along with Maestro Pelizzoli started to think about a new concept of safety-bike bike (Zolfagharifard, 2014).
Samsung reported that this project had remarkable success and “inspired many young talents to change their mind about handcrafting, starting to find ways to innovate Italian heritage.” (Eurobest, 2014). It was also featured heavily in media, including newspaper articles, magazines, one of the episodes of the Maestros Academy TV-series, had 6 million TV-viewers, 7 million Facebook and Twitter-users reached, and 60 million media-impressions (in Italy alone) (Design Boom, 2014; Eadiccicco, 2014; Eurobest, 2014; Huddleston, 2014; NerdsChalk Staff, 2014; Samsung Maestro Academy, n.d.; Samsung Newsroom, 2014; Summerson, 2014; Zero27, 2014; Zolfagharifard, 2014).
Samsung is a technology company that seeks to “launch people” (Eurobest, 2014), and “amplify their life’s potential” (Eurobest, 2014) through the design of its products. The Samsung Smart-Bike is the first safe-bicycle that protects the rider with its built-in smart-components, which are automatically activated through a Samsung smartphone and an app. Milan Design Week featured a successful demonstration of the smart bike (Eurobest, 2014).
An Arduino board, a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module, a battery, and a digital camera (located below the rider’s seat), which can be controlled via a Samsung smartphone. A virtual bike lane is one of the most key features of Samsung’s smart bike thanks to the four laser beams (Zolfagharifard, 2014). As a safety measure, this feature alerts other cyclists to the fact that there is a bicycle ahead of them. To further enhance visibility, the Smart bike rider can adjust the beam’s intensity. In addition, there is a built-in GPS system that shows you exactly where you are going. The phone’s location is fixed at the handle of the bike, making it easy to access while riding (Eadiccicco, 2014).
This project was successful at the time in creating ‘buzz’ and interest in handicraft in Italy (Eurobest, 2014), but it appears to have not yet made become a product available to purchase (Although I suspect if you reached out you could probably have one made for you without the Samsung brand).
Video courtesy of Samsung Maestro Academy
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References
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Available at: https://www.designboom.com/technology/samsung-smart-bike-06-12-2014/
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Dormer, P. 1997. The Culture of Craft. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
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