MERIT PRIZE AT THE 2003 SCIENCE FAIR! The Bike Indicator Junior Technology project. Mikaela (seen here with little sister Kim) was the youngest participant in the Fair, competing with students at least four years older than her!

Abstract

An indicator is a light that flashes at the back of my bicycle so people will know that I am turning a corner. It has one light on either side. The lights are programmed from a chip to flash on and off. A speaker will beep when you turn on the switch so you know when you have them on. The switches are on the handlebars so you only need to move your thumb. I thought bicycles would need indicators to show which way you were turning when you were biking on the road. I think it is safer having indicators than biking with only one arm on your handlebars while you put your other arm out to show which way you are going to turn. To turn left, you would press the left switch and which would make the left light flash that means if you press the right button the right light will go on.

Method

By programming a PICAXE-08 chip using a computer, I made the lights flash on and off at a speed I thought was best. Dad added some of the code so that it knew when a button was pushed and to turn it off I put the chip into a circuit and wired the circuit to two batteries. I drilled the holes into the box and the pipe with help from my daddy. I put the lights in the hole in the pipe and one hole in the box for the switch and to another holes for the sockets. We started testing it and tried it out on my bike to see where to put the box, the pipe and the switches.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PICAXE CODE

Results and Discussion

One good thing about the chip was I could change the flashing speed really easy using the computer. I think the lights need to have a reflective dish behind them so it is easier to see when they are flashing. Next, I would make front indicators too.

Acknowledgments

Thank you Mummy for helping me with the writing and thank you Daddy for helping me with the project.