Industrial design, Brand alignment, Detailed mechanical design, Design for manufacture
The Backtracker was developed in conjunction with a tech startup called ikubu. The electronic engineers at ikubu developed the miniature doppler radar technology with the aim of making cyclists lives safer when out on the road. The Backtracker is a bicycle radar that tells the rider what is coming up from behind. The radar consists of two modules that communicate with each other via Bluetooth, one mounted on the seat post (the radar module) and the other mounted on the handlebars (the interface module). The interface unit makes use of LEDs to show how far behind and how fast traffic is approaching, giving the rider an additional perception of their position on the road.
How the backtracker works (image: Backtracker)
The radar can measure obstacles from up to 140 meters away, allowing a cyclist to focus on how to navigate the road ahead. The bike light on the radar unit aids to further help protect the rider, functioning as a standard bike light as well as reacting to upcoming vehicles by flashing with higher frequency as they approach to increase the visibility of the rider on the road. The enclosures were over-moulded with a PC/TPU combination to give a tactile exterior finish and an IP66 rating to handle all cycling conditions. Both units can be easily removed from the universal mounts that attach them the the bike by pushing a release button and sliding them off the mounts. The universal mounts are attached to the bike by use of different sized silicone o-rings to allow them to be attached to different bike setups.
A detailed review of the Backtracker can be found here. Ikubu undertook a crowdfunding campaign through Dragon innovation which resulted in widespread publicity. Before the crowdfunding campaign reached its finality and the product was readied for manufacture, the Backtracker attracted the interests of global tech company Garmin and ikubu was acquired shortly thereafter. The backtracker was revised by Garmin's designers and was released as the Garmin Varia, pictured alongside.
The Garmin Varia (Image: Garmin)
Contributors: iKubu development team (Electronics), Unknown Design (Branding and digital media),
