Cerevellum

Cerevellum is an interesting cyclo-computer concept, but it is really much more than that. The system is expandable by way of 4 USB connections on the underside of the head unit so the user can choose the extra features that he or she wants; GPS mapping, power meter, heart rate monitor, etc. Sounds good so far, but if you look at the rendering, you will see the most interesting feature of the Cervellum, the hindsight component. A small lens in the handlebar end plug (or optionally attached to the seatpost) gives the rider a rearview that is shown right on the head unit’s display screen. Cars approaching from behind can be clearly seen as the rider glances down to view the computer data. I think this is a great idea; much more information about the concept is available on the Cerevellum website, so check it out if you want to learn more.

Evan Solida, the designer who developed this concept, is looking for a company to manufacture the product. He notes on his website that the design process is essentially finished and that many of the plastic parts are ready to be tooled. The product could get to market quickly and could even be possibly unveiled at Interbike or Eurobike 2008. If you are interested, contact Evan about his design at this email address.

Best of all (for me at least), Evan lives and works right here in Greenville, so I am hoping that I will get a chance to try out his working prototype. If I do, I will let you know what I think.

On an unrelated note, take a look at this “theft proof” bicycle concept at the Core 77 blog. Certainly all the details are not worked out, but it is an interesting idea. It kind of reminded me of an older product. Back in the 90s, my wife had one of those seatposts with an integrated pump. The concept was interesting and I guess it would have worked in an emergency, but as one commenter to the Core post pointed out, seat posts are pretty greasy when you remove them from the frame. I never used that pump, so I doubt that I would use this locking system either. Still, I am glad to see designers discussing the problem.


Posted

in

by

Comments

9 responses to “Cerevellum”

  1. Fritz Avatar
    Fritz

    Somewhere I saw where somebody used a Bluetooth enabled webcam with a Bluetooth PDA of some kind (a iPhone? can’t remember). The webcam is mounted on the rear rack and the PDA on the handlebar for a live rear-view video feed.

    I prefer my eyeglass mirror — it’s in my field of view almost constantly. There’s no need to glance at my handlebars for the rear view.

  2. James Avatar
    James

    Fritz, I doubt that a product like this would get very many mirror users to convert. The people I know who use mirrors swear by them and wouldn’t ride without them. I know that helmet or eyeglass mounted mirrors work well, but many cyclists (myself included) just don’t like to use them. I have tried mirrors but I find having something in my immediate field of vision to be distracting. I do, however, use a cyclo-computer and since I already I look down at it from time to time, I think the camera view would be a nice feature for me. I guess I’ll see when I try the prototype.

    Of course, safety would be the primary reason for the hindsight, but it would also be fun to see who is drafting behind you in a group ride without looking back. In a race, you could monitor the wheelsucker’s face to see when the time is right to drop the hammer.

  3. bikesgonewild Avatar
    bikesgonewild

    …a basic perusal regarding the cerevellum concept, along w/ your comments had me immediately thinking about “future” possibilities…
    …so w/ apologies to evan solida & what looks to be an very interesting product, i wanna run w/ the idea a bit…
    …first off, i’m not going to take the time to immerse myself in unfamiliar technical terms, so please bear w/ my ignorance…

    …i could imagine w/ high-end digital optical quality & the right computer capacity combined w/ several tiny sensors, a simple calculated grid system could be portrayed onscreen…
    …as a vehicle approaches from behind (you’ve already seen it on the screen) & moves up beside you, a preset distance sensor informs you onscreen, perhaps by way of a green line on it’s left that would change to red, if the vehicle is sensed to be infringing on that preset lateral distance…
    …as a rider in the present moment, available info would be simplified but everything else concerning measurement would be recorded…
    …in the first case, you’re given an immediate heads up, but also…
    …all information, both digital video & distance calculations could be down loaded in the event of a traffic “situation” thus offering some substance for “official” use…
    …(yes your honor, as you can see, my client who was riding well within a safe cycling area, was forced into the guardrail & the driver was obviously on his/her cell phone, looking away, whatever, whatever)…
    …road & ambient light conditions, vehicle front plate, color, anomalous markings, all the info that would offer police/judicial agencies irrefutable proof of the situation…

    …anyway, far fetched ?…perhaps for the moment but ultimately, not at all…as the technology becomes simplified/ common place/ cheaper, i’m willing to bet it would be simple for the right engineer …
    …too high tech for bicycle folks?…only if you wish to remain retro…

  4. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    Getting close, but
    Where is the software running on my treo/iphone, or windows phone to integrate:

    GPS
    Heart Rate Monitor
    Phone
    MP3 Player / Streaming Internet Radio?

  5. Fritz Avatar
    Fritz

    Ooh, you got mentioned in Boing Boing and WIRED!

  6. James Avatar
    James

    Yeah Fritz, I was happy to see both of those links. Gizmodo also picked it up from the Wired post, but no link back here unfortunately.

  7. James Avatar
    James

    The Cerevellum is pretty damn neat. Definitely wishing I had one.

    Thanks for showing it to me!

    I wrote a post about it on my blog at ecogadget, hope you like it!

  8. harry2110 Avatar
    harry2110

    Actually for me this is perfect as I have a very narrow field so standard helmet mirrors dont work for me and I cant get any glasses mount ones either becuase of my sunglasses are too big.

  9. […] his Cerevellum expandable cyclo-computer design. Some of you might remember in late 2007 when I first posted about the Cerevellum concept. A few months later I had a chance to ride with Evan and try out his rough prototype. As you can […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *