Self-service bicycle sharing is on its way to Tampa, according to baynews9.com. Partnering with a company called myBike, riders will use a mobile app to locate and reserve bikes around the city at various kiosks starting next summer.
"Because it works via any Internet access, most likely that's your phone," said myBike founder Andrew Blikken in the article. "So you'll be able to see where every available bike is in the system, check out the specific bike that you want, bike number 247 right there on the corner, and you'll be able to reserve it for ten minutes."
Users enter a PIN to unlock the bike, the article reported, and can lock it up at any available bike rack when finished. A solar unit and pedal power keep the on board processor and GPS running, Blikken said. The "smart bike" knows when it's locked up, and can even sense when someone is trying to steal it.
"Much like your phone, it has an accelerometer in it," Blikken said. "It knows when it's being jostled back and forth. So when it reaches a certain threshold it automatically communicates via cellular signal back to the server."
Read more about outdoor kiosks.
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