Bike Tow Leash
What is it? A leash that attaches to a bicycle, allowing someone to safely walk a dog while riding a bike. It clamps low on the bike near the rear axle. It automatically communicates bike speed and direction to the dog without tipping the bike or tangling the leash. Who made it? Mike Leon, ME 85. What inspired it? Leon and his wife raised service dogs and had a black Labrador with seemingly endless energy. Leon was biking their children to school, and he wanted to take the dog along. He couldn’t find a safe way to leash the dog to the bike, so he decided to build one. Why is it game changing? Leon used his knowledge of physics to create a leash that would prevent tipping even if the dog lunges. The Bike Tow Leash is essentially a prosthetic arm that guides the dog. The device earned the American Pet Association’s five-star rating and was featured as an editor’s choice in Dog Fancy magazine. “The responses to the Bike Tow Leash have been fabulous from the people who use them,” Leon said.
Cycle Atlanta
What is it? An iPhone app that tracks cycling routes through Atlanta and shares information with the City of Atlanta to help plan cycling initiatives. Who made it? Kari Watkins, assistant professor of transportation systems engineering, and Christopher Le Dantec, PhD HCC 11, an assistant professor of digital media, with support from the City of Atlanta Department of Planning and Community Development, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and the Atlanta Regional Commission. What inspired it? Le Dantec said one reason many Atlantans don’t commute by bicycle is a lack of lanes, racks and other bike-friendly amenities. He and Watkins wanted to encourage infrastructure development. Why is it game changing? Cyclists can record their rides, and the free app will relay that data to City officials, helping them know what to build and where. “The city has a desire to put proper infrastructure in place,” Le Dantec said, “but needs better information from citizens about where they currently ride and would like to cycle.” Fellow cyclists can benefit from the information, too.
Dragonfly Drone
What is it? A robotic dragonfly that can mimic the insect’s flight. It measures 6 inches long, weighs about 25 grams and is powered by a lithium polymer battery that provides hover times of 8-10 minutes. Who built it? A team led by Jayant Ratti, MS ECE 08, a PhD student in robotics, and Emanuel Jones, a mechanical engineering master’s student, with a $1 million grant from the Air Force. What inspired it? The project began in Tech’s Robots and Intelligent Machines lab, where the team was developing designs for small drones. The dragonfly, with its wide range of swift motion, struck them as an ideal creature to replicate. Why is it game changing? The TechJect Dragonfly is small enough to navigate, patrol and map tight spaces, and it can be camouflaged to look like a real dragonfly. The team’s recent fundraising campaign on indiegogo.com allowed them to put the Dragonfly into production.
Amazing Creatures
What is it? Computational models of human and animal motion used to build simulation tools for scientists, engineers and artists. Who made it? Karen Liu, associate professor in the School of Interactive Computing. What inspired it? Liu long has been interested in human motion—“The coordinated operation of 206 bones, more than 600 muscles, and countless tendons and ligaments,” she says—and her thorough understanding of the physics and motor control behind motion proved to be invaluable to animators as they sought to generate animation automatically. Why is it game changing? Liu’s research has been influential in computer animation as well as robotics, bioengineering, neuroscience and anthropology. What sets her apart, she says, is “the incorporation of our partial understanding of human biomechanics, incomplete observation of motion from the real world, and limited computing resources and algorithms to design scientifically sound and practically robust computational models.”
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