Navigation device?!

Hi folks,
I'm an Innovative Product Design student in Dundee Scotland and my
last brief was to design a short range communication device that works
over 20m. The user group i have chosen is cyclists and now that the
project is a few weeks in i would really appreciate some feedback and
constructive criticism on my idea.
The idea is that when off-roading in groups and especially at night it
is difficult to determine where the bulk of the group is going to go.
Also when just joining a group it is daunting to shout for everyone to
stop when a puncture or similar problem occurs. Originally i aimed
this to only used be accomplished cyclists but further feedback has
changed this and i now think it would be especially good for children
groups or family cycling holidays.
My proposed solution is a lightweight, handlebar mounted display that
uses digital compass technology to detect where the group "leader" is
going and shows this on a LED pointer display. A visual alarm is also
included so that a rider in trouble can quickly alert everyone in the
group when a problem occurs. I am also thinking of including a lesser
alarm that notifies the riders behind of obstacles such as fallen
trees or hairpin bends but i am wary of how much the device will
weigh.
Some feedback on this idea would be really useful. Thanks in advance


Edward Lewis

In article ,
Shotokan wrote:
My proposed solution is a lightweight, handlebar mounted display that
uses digital compass technology to detect where the group "leader" is
going and shows this on a LED pointer display. A visual alarm is also

How? The immediate solution I can think of (indeed, the only solution I
can think of) is to use a GPS receiver on each bike and transmit
position fixes amongst the participants. But in a lot of cycling
contexts, GPS fixes are hard to obtain. Otherwise you're into using
radio direction finding, which would be hard to productionise.

ian

Shotokan wrote:
Hi folks,
My proposed solution is a lightweight, handlebar mounted display that
uses digital compass technology

I'd like to have a handlebar-mounted compass on my bike, but even if the
bars, stem, brake-shifter levers, and frame were made of non-ferrous
materials, I think the cables would still cause errors. I haven't heard
of non-steel bike cables. And then there's the Earth's weakening
magnetic field to worry about .