BikePals

Challenge your friends to high-stakes bike races, compete for a high rank, and stay healthy & active, all while ensuring complete social distancing and no physical interaction.

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Introduction

  • We're two students from Canada currently in our 12th year of high-school who love solving real-world problems with the help of programming and technology

Issue/Inspiration

  • The pandemic has decreased average daily physical activity by half
  • We can see this in our own lives as well - there is no more motivation for exercise
  • Biking is a common, enjoyable, and non-strenuous exercise, but it is quite boring when done alone
  • What if we renew interest in biking WITHOUT having people meet up, thus maintaining the COVID protocol and also increasing physical activity

What it does

  • BikePals is an all in one solution to biking with your friends from a safe distance
  • It is a two-part solution
    • BikePal Device
    • BikePal App
  • The BikePal device tracks your speed, pedal RPM, pulse, elevation, etc. and sends that information over to the app
  • Through the app, you can challenge your friends to competitive bike rides
  • You can set a distance and a time, and your goal is to bike that distance within the time limit and before your friend does
  • Based on your wins, losses, and other factors, you are given a rank, ranging from bronze to supersonic!
  • The app also uses your biking information to give you tips on how you can improve your biking technique and form

How we built it

  • iOS App
    • XCode + Swift
    • Firebase + Firestore
      • Controls Entire Back-End Friends Network
      • Real Time Synchronization
      • User Profiles
      • Friend Links
      • Email and Password Control
      • Form Improvement Tips
      • Other Smaller Features
  • BikePals Device
    • Arduino Nano
    • Bluetooth LE Chip
    • Hall Effect Sensor
    • 3-Axis Accelerometer
    • 3-Axis Gyroscope
    • 3-Axis Magnetometer
    • Pulse Sensor
    • Rechargable Battery

Challenges we ran into

  • Getting the hall effect sensor to output when it is faced with the magnet (forgot the pull-up resistor)
  • Sending the data from the BikePal Device to the iOS App
  • Making the outer physical enclosure

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Getting the entire project working in time!
  • The pairing process, just tap to pair!
  • We really feel that it is quite exciting and motivating
  • We have high hopes that it will improve physical activity levels in the real world market
  • To have made something for our bikes! Being in high school, it is our main mode of transportation

What we learned

  • How to use a hall effect sensor
  • Sending raw data over BLE
  • Arduino Interrupts
  • Firebase User Management with Email Linking

What's next for BikePals

  • A PCB board for the electronics
  • A 3D printed physical enclosure
  • Enhancing the Firebase Security Rules
  • Releasing the App to the App store and receiving feedback

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