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Adafruit's Smart Helmet Helps Navigate to NYC's Citi Bike Stations

Posted by timothy on from the mind-control-the-direct-way dept.

coop0030 writes "Add GPS, compass navigation & visibility with LEDs to a helmet that helps you find your way to the closest Citi Bike station in New York City. It's powered by Adafruit's FLORA, a wearable electronics platform. With a detailed tutorial, you can build the helmet, and customize it to work in most cities with a bike share as well."

4 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Another creation by i+kan+reed · · Score: 3, Funny

    Another creation of the All powerful bike lobby. Helmets are just a particularly sturdy stepping stone on the way towards totalitarianism.

  2. can you NYC people answer this for me? by slashmydots · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why not take the money you would have spent on the helmet and just buy your own bike? I'm in WI and I could easily fit a full sized mountain bike in my 400 sq ft studio apartment...or the bike rack downstairs or my parking spot lol. I don't get this bike sharing thing. A cheap but okay bike is like $150. Why rent when you can just buy one? And why buy an expensive helmet that tells you where to rent bikes?

    1. Re:can you NYC people answer this for me? by unimacs · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't live in NYC but we do have a bike share system in Minneapolis. I ride my own bike every day to work and felt much the same way as you did but I've since realized there are some significant advantages to using a bike share system.

      The biggest for me is that I can get around town without having to lock up my own bike somewhere and risk getting it stolen or damaged.

      Another is cost. An annual subscription to the bike share system is $60 or so but if you're savvy you can get them for $45 or less. My subscription this year cost me $20. That's far less than what an annual bike tuneup would cost IF you don't need any parts.

      Then there is the space saving thing you alluded to. Though you may be fine with a bike taking up space on a wall in your apartment, not everyone is. Depending on what floor you live on, getting the bike into your apartment may not be at all convenient even if you have the space. And while yes, you could lock it up outside, again it is at greater risk of getting stolen or damaged.

    2. Re:can you NYC people answer this for me? by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      the point is that you can bike one direction and take a bus back.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.