Problem statement

A decisive factor in promoting widespread use of (e-)bicycles is how safe people feel when cycling. However, cyclists often feel unsafe due to the sometimes poor condition of cycling infrastructures as well as external factors (e.g. weather or air quality). For a holistic consideration of factors influencing how cyclists perceive the safety and convenience of cycling as a mode of transport, we need new and data-based approaches.

Project objective

The overarching objective of the ESSEM project is to enhance cyclists’ safety and comfort. To this end, biostatistical data (emotion sensing) is collected in the project and overlaid with contextual data. This comprehensive database allows to draw conclusions on possible improvements for product and service demonstrators as well as for cycling infrastructures and traffic management systems – all to enhance cyclists’ safety and comfort.

Implementation

Sensor technologies are used to collect data from the environment and the participating test persons on a recurring basis in the model cities Ludwigsburg and Osnabrück. This data is overlaid with already existing contextual data in order to take external factors into account and thus ensure an integrated approach. The findings will be used in specific cases of application.