The Bluesteel Revolution is a bicycle designed to help riders with mental disabilities learn to ride a bicycle. It was the final resultant product from our 2.009 Product Development Process class. A second steering column is mechanically linked to the front steering, allowing an instructor to build muscle memory in the rider without relying on direct translation of verbal communication to physical action. By steering the bike underneath the rider, the instructor does not need to fight the weight of the rider, and can effectively balance a rider that weighs more than the instructor.
After the class, we entered the bicycle into the MIT IDEAS competition, and won a grant to pursue further development.
On this project, I:
»Served as system integrator, managing a team of 16 mechanical engineers
»Made sure we met schedule deadlines and that teams were working communicating effectively
»Ran design refinement and sub-selection meetings
»Designed the wire restraint mechanism for rear steering column
»Fabricated various parts of early prototypes
