Human Control of Bicycle Dynamics with Experimental Validation and Implications for Bike Handling and Design

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

The research objective of this award is to develop experimentally validated dynamic models of bicycles controlled by human riders. These models will be similar to those developed in the aerospace industry to understand pilot/vehicle interactions for the purpose of designing aircraft with desired handling qualities. The bicycle and human rider is distinct from aircraft and automobiles because most of the mass is in the rider, rather than the vehicle. This distinction presents unique challenges to developing guidelines for the design of bicycles with desired handling qualities and addressing this issue will be at the core of the research. Instrumented bicycles will be designed, built, and tested to validate the analytic models developed. Deliverables include validated dynamic models of the bicycle system under human rider control, software tools that can be used to further study bicycle dynamics and control, documentation of research results, and engineering student education. If successful, the results of this research will improve the fundamental understanding of how humans interact with bicycles and will help to pave the way to the design of bicycles for a wider population audience and for a wider range of tasks. Systematic design of bicycles with more utilitarian purposes (as opposed to recreation) may be made possible, which in turn will lead to lower cost, healthier, and more sustainable modes of personal transportation. Graduate students will be directly involved in the research as well as in the dissemination of the results through classroom instruction, scientific publication, and outreach activities at the K-12 level and local science centers. The familiarity of children with the bicycle makes it an ideal candidate to spark their interest in future engineering careers.