these alternatives could make commuting under
your own power a more attractive option. When
enough people find an option attractive, city governments will hopefully react accordingly.
If you think that HPVs are just too slow, you
might find it interesting that HPVs and their riders can reach land speeds of more than 50 mph
(judged from a standing start over a one-hour
duration), according to the U.S. Human Powered
Vehicle Association (HPVA; www.hpva.us/land.
html) and the International Human Powered
Vehicle Association (IHPVA; www.ihpva.org/
Records). Of course, your own results may vary.
Electric-Assist Systems
You don’t need to be an athlete to consider commuting by HPV. Many forms of HPV now come with
optional electric-assist “hub motors,” which can
be used “full throttle” or as an assist when riding
uphill and from standing starts. Such systems let
you balance the benefits of exercise with commuting via HPV and the need to arrive at work in dry
clothes.
The 100-year-old-plus Heinzmann company
offers complete electric-assist bicycles and kits
that can be used to convert existing bikes to
electric-assist configurations (www.heinzmannusa.
com). The BionX system also offers electric-assist
kits that include digital display controllers, varying rider-selected levels of assist programs, and
the ability to regenerate power while coasting and
braking ( www.bionx.ca). There are many other
such systems available, including some that are
designed to work in industrial and commercial
light electric and HPV applications (for example,
www.cyclesmaximus.com).
Issues and Opportunities for Interaction Designers
In a perfect world, one could just switch infrastructures to accommodate changing needs and
new, greener technologies. Sadly, this isn’t a perfect world. HPVs need to be integrated into existing
transportation and social infrastructures. There
is a role for interaction designers in creating this
integration.
First, interaction designers can design interactivity to motivate ordinary people to adopt environmentally friendly alternatives like HPVs. This
may be accomplished through the myriad social
channels afforded by present information technologies and others that are yet to be imagined. For
example, someone in our community could design
a carbon-footprint calculator that helps people see
the benefits of changing to HPV commuting, plan
HPV-friendly routes, and understand the financial
benefits as well as the environmental benefits of
such a change. The health benefits that accrue
from increased exercise are another issue, one that
is an important but much less emphasized aspect
of sustainable ways of being.
The use of computers on bikes appears to be
mostly limited to measurement tools for athletes.
Much more could be done to make HPVs more
attractive to commuters and others. You can
mount a GPS device to your HPV—GPS devices with
settings for bicycles are available—use Bluetooth
to enable hands-free speakerphone functions, and
have embedded mp3 players. Our community has
studied such devices for cars somewhat extensively, especially with respect to issues of cognitive
overload, but the issue of how such devices create
benefits and problems in the HPV context needs
to be studied. Moreover, we could be the designers
who call for making HPV systems that integrate
gauge, controller, and battery systems into single
integrated systems—from the assist motors to
lighting systems to HPV-specific GPS devices to
mobile communications that work in the wind.
Some systemic thinking must take place to make
HPVs practical for ordinary folks.
Some other issues to which interaction designers may wish to direct attention include understanding the relation of weather to HPVs. What
constitutes “safe” weather for HPVs? How can
interactive technologies be used to make riders
aware of weather limits, and can such technologies be employed in a personal and mobile way?
Yet another issue is the ways in which HPVs interact with public transportation systems. How can
interactive technologies be used to manage such
interactions? Is there a future in which you will
be able to ride your velomobile to the train station
or airport? Will you be able to take your velomobile along? There is an opportunity to design
interactive systems to help with HPV-specific
parking location and safe route planning while on
the road.
One of the most important issues is safety. Wide
adoption of various forms of HPVs implies a wider
variety of vehicle sizes and types and nominal visibility, speed, and braking capabilities sharing the
same pathways than ever before. Perhaps there is a