Singapore Poly students' smart alarm keeps bikes safe
S'pore Polytechnic students create device that can notify owners of a potential theft
Have you ever secured your bike to a bicycle stand at a void deck with a chain only to find a single wheel left in its place the next day?
Mr Bernard Soh Ee Siang, 19, an avid cyclist, has had that experience. In fact, the Sembawang resident has had two bicycles stolen in five years.
There were 771 bicycle thefts between January and September last year and 894 thefts in the same period in 2015.
Keen to address the problem of bike thefts, the Singapore Polytechnic (SP) student accepted his lecturer's challenge of building a smart bicycle alarm.
The idea had come from Adsec Singapore, a retail security companyhis lecturer was in touch with.
Working closely with the company and his lecturer, Mr Soh led his team of three to come up with the Smart Bike Alarm.
The students, who are pursuing a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering, came up with the prototype over a period of nine months for their final-year project.
The alarm was one of the 94 projects featured this week at SP's Engineering Show, an annual showcase of final-year projects by engineering students.
There were 771 bicycle thefts between January and September last year and 894 thefts in the same period in 2015.
The hand-sized alarm the team created can be attached to a bicycle with a wire.
Mr Soh said his team wanted a device that worked with mobile apps.
So, through Bluetooth pairing, users can lock and unlock the bike alarm with an app.
If the alarm is not unlocked through the app, or movement is detected on the bicycle or mobility device, the alarm will sound for five seconds.
If there is continued movement, the alarm will continue to sound indefinitely, and the owner will be alerted via an SMS.
The app also allows the user to locate the alarm's location via Google Maps.
If the thief tries to cut the wire, the sound will also continue indefinitely. The SMS will also specify that the wire has been cut.
If the user's mobile phone runs out of battery, he can key in a self-set password on the device's keypad once he has recovered the bicycle.
Mr Soh told The New Paper: "I didn't want others to experience what I experienced, and I want to provide them a peace of mind."
'CHALLENGING'
He said trying to make the device compact, small and light was challenging.
"We did a lot of research," said Mr Soh.
Adsec Singapore is already looking for investors for the alarm.
Mr Geoffrey Foo, general manager of Adsec Singapore, told TNP: "As we move towards becoming a cycling nation, there will be a greater need for this product."
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