GARMIN VENIO

NAVIGATION ON A BIKE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
HUMAN-CENTRERD DESIGN • RAPID PROTOTYPING • PITCHING • SOLIDWORKS SIMULATIONS

Brief

A large reason for insecurity is navigation. Inexperienced cyclists need to focus on traffic, stability while trying to go in the right direction. Visual aids divert attention from the road and increase risk.
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Create a battery powered, motorised, handheld device that will serve an underserved user group. We focused on cyclists - COVID-19 led to a 35% increase of cyclists on the roads, however cycling is still perceived as dangerous.

Outcome

A wearable navigation system that communicates direction intuitively, through vibration alone. This makes cycling on new roads approachable, increases safety and reduces fear while increasing confidence

Prototyping and Concept Development
We began by finding the optimum place for the vibration to be located, testing vibration motors on different parts of the body while riding a bike. Dermatomes, areas of skin associated with specific spinal roots, helped us to choose placement where there would be the fastest reaction times. Vibration patterns, clasp mechanisms, buttons and forms were tested and an app mock-up was created.

FEA was used to validate material choices and motor frequencies and displacements were perceptible. Power calculations ensured correct electronic components were used.

Our prototype runs on an ESP32. We first initialise a Bluetooth connection between Venio and the app. The Google Maps API is then used to create waypoints that will direct the user through vibration. Once the waypoint data are sent, the device is no longer reliant on the phone, making it safer.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly
We used rules of DFMA when designing, including appropriately thick walls and ribs, draft angles and correct fillet and corner radii. SOLIDWORKS Injection Moulding simulator was used to validate the casing design. The front and back sections can be moulded in 2.0507 and 1.9502 seconds respectively, with maximum depth of shrinkage of 0.0618 mm

Lightweight ABS was chosen as the casing material due to its properties., There is a waterproof gasket made with silicone paste between the two casing halves, protecting the electronics from rain. Silicone over-moulded on wire armatures is used for the neck band for its smooth feeling against skin. This is already used in Garmin products, making it consistent with their brand.

Assembly is carried out from one orientation, needing only to 'drop in' components. Combined with locating features, assembly is quick and easy. Non-permanent fasteners are used to allow repair, hence being more sustainable. The sum of costs is US $24.59 , allowing Venio to be a low-cost option, appealing to new cyclists.

Business and Compliance
Garmin was chosen as their product portfolio aligns with our proposed device. Garmin operates in three main markets: the US, EU, and UK, so care was taken that legislation was abided by and the correct markings of electronics, traceability, sustainability and recycling were incorporated..

A safety guide and user guide were created within the visual style and language that Garmin uses.

Packaging
Garmin's advertising strategy informed our packaging design, with the sleeve sleek but factual, and the unboxing experience premium and designed to solidify a relationship with the company, with reusable boxes, layers and icons - all in Garmin's signature colours.

Sustainability is key, and Garmin have completely eliminated plastic windows and blister packets. We used 200 gsm paper, matboard and moulded fibre, which is recyclable and biodegradable. Flexography printing and spot UV curing would be used to create a shiny logo. 100% of packaging can be made out of 100% recycled materials and can all be fully recycled.