There's now a driverless bicycle

The i-Bike's appeal is its multi-mode function: The bike switches between automatic and manual mode.

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A team of engineering students in India have come up with a driverless bicycle.

Developed at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, the bike, called i-Bike, was designed with disabled riders in mind.

But the bike's hybrid configuration, which can easily switch from autonomous to manual operation, has potential uses beyond its original purpose.

It's not the first of its kind.A German company debuted a self-driving bicycle prototype at EuroBike fair last year.

But the i-Bike's appeal is its multi-mode function: The bike switches between automatic locomotion, automatic steering and manual mode. This gives the rider total control of how they want to use the bike.

An arm amputee can manually ride the bike but utilise automatic steering, a leg amputee could steer themselves while the bike propels itself, and a blind rider could use both automated systems.

The bike has retractable training wheels, as well, for auto-locomotion.

The bicycle runs on wireless phone networks, using smartphone and GPS technology. It can be driven to a specific place by sending an SMS text with the location information.

Once the coordinates are in place, the bike is on its way, using mounted sensors to navigate around unexpected obstacles on the road.

Because of that aspect, the i-Bike also has the potential for another use: bike-share systems, which have gained popularity in cities worldwide.


Its hybrid-use design would allow for the bicycle to be ridden by a driver to its new location, then sent automatically back to its station.

Currently, the i-Bike is in its prototype phase. The team of engineering students behind it are still pursuing their undergraduate studies, but hope to get the bike up to product level within the year - before they graduate.

The team has mentioned its relative affordability, estimating a cost of between 35,000 to 50,000 rupees, ranging from roughly &pound365 ; to £515;.

Source: The Washington Post