The Netherlands is a cycling country, but sadly a bike ride is not without risk. In 2020 it arrived more than 200 dead cyclists. That number hasn’t been that high in 25 years. Joris Koops of Assen wants to ensure that people, young and old, continue to cycle safely and has founded Bypoint. The company launches a new fall detection system for bicycles this month. This automatically activates help when needed. Koops told Innovation Origins exactly how it works.
Why we write on this topic:
How did the idea of developing a fall detection system come about?
“Some time ago I learned from my grandmother that an acquaintance of hers had fallen while riding a bicycle. This person had to wait a long time for help to arrive, while she sustained serious injuries. There must be another way, I thought.
I then launched an investigation into the number of bicycle accidents and found that this number is increasing significantly in the Netherlands. This is mainly due to the electrification of the bicycle. People cycle faster and farther and are more likely to arrive at a place they don’t know well. If you are already able to independently contact someone you know or the emergency center after a fall, it is quite difficult to pinpoint exactly where you fell. This means that there are good chances that you will have to look for and that precious time will be lost. This time, time is crucial after a bicycle accident ”.
I have now developed a system that knows when someone has fallen and then asks a friend for help. The system does this without connecting a mobile phone or app, automatically approaching this person by phone via SMS and forwarding the position. “
how exactly does it work?
“Our system can use sensor technology and software to see when someone falls. If so, a speaker will announce: ‘You seem to have fallen. If you cannot press the button within one minute, the guide will be activated automatically. ‘ A cyclist entered 3 contacts into the system in advance. One minute after someone falls, a text message is sent to person one. If this person doesn’t answer, person two is called and then person three. When someone replies to the text message, he sees a map with GPS coordinates so he knows exactly where to go. Our system then informs the fallen person that help is on the way ”.
What are you currently engaged with?
“We are currently in the final testing phase. Last month, we started actively approaching product retailers for companies in the bicycle industry. Dozens of parties indicate that they are interested. In addition, we also sell directly to consumers via our website.
We have also entered into a partnership with the Province of Drenthe. We collect accident data. In this way we can indicate where people often fall. In the long run, the number of falls says something about the safety of a given bike path. If necessary, the road infrastructure can be adapted “.
Are you sure your product will catch on in the market?
“As the number of bicycle accidents has increased, we see more and more attention being paid to it. For example, more helmets and mirrors are sold. You also read more and more about it in the newspapers and hear about it on television. The need for security products like ours is greater than ever. So I think the sales of our product will definitely be good. ”
“A few weeks ago we were at the 50PlusBeurs in Utrecht. We also got a lot of positive reactions there. This is important to us, because even though our target group is large, the elderly in particular also benefit from the system. “
Are there any features you would like to add to your system in the future?
“I would really like to finally start a collaboration with the emergency room. That we are the fourth contact person to add the emergency center to the system. We see that the emergency center is working more and more with this type of SMS systems. We may provide useful information. However, we must first prove that we are not causing unnecessary overload. But in the end I definitely imagine such a collaboration ”.
