So it goes

I’ve been working on an idea for a new bicycle safety device for the past three months. Today was the first road test. We hacked the proto-prototype together from pieces we had lying around the flat and from bits I bought at the charity shop. After some debate about the scarcity of handlebar real estate, Phil wedged the beast next to my bell and secured it with a bungee cord.

The effect was awesome.

I rode the bike up and down the street while Phil and Alan (our third musketeer) took notes on how far the sound traveled, how directional it was, and how many passers-by took notice. The good news: my bike was audible from a great distance and the sound itself was brilliant. Bright, informative and—dare I say?—pleasant. It fit right in to the sound landscape of the street.

The great news: we learned a lot about the potential final form of the product today. Even though this was an extremely low-tech exercise, we saw what definitely worked, and where we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board. Onwards and upwards to Device 2.0!