The Dero Bike Rack Company has developed a system which enables employers and employees to keep track their pedaled commutes using a solar powered RFID system.
Their Dero ZAP product, is a solar powered, Wi-Fi connected RFID system that records the number of times each commuter arrives by bike. The system is similar to the technology found in Fast Pass RFID tags, used on toll roads.
When a commuter arrives at work, they pass through a read zone of a Dero ZAP device (video). It recognizes the tag which is registered to a specific employee. It acknowledges the read with an audible beep and flashing light.
The RFID collected information is transmitted via Wi-Fi to a central website that employers can access to create reports for payroll. The commuter can also log onto the website to confirm their commutes for the month.
Rob Nagler, a Boulder dad, was searching for a way to get kids interested in riding their bicycles to school. He used a M9 RFID reader module made by Colorado RFID developer SkyeTek. Here’s his documentation. It uses 900MHz with passive RF-ID tags that cost about a buck each. They can be attached to bikes, helments, backpacks or badges.
Nagler’s Freiker (Frequent biker) prototype proved successful. Nagler then partnered with the Dero Bike Rack Company to manufacture and sell the ZAP devices to end users. The Freiker costs $4,990 for the first year, and approximately half of that for each subsequent year. This fee includes one Freikometer, use of the website by the schools and kids, hardware and software support and maintenance, and 500 tags.
The Frieker motherboard uses a WLM54G WiFi card and uses a a 43 Watt Kyocera solar panel.
By contrast, Portland’s PersonalTelco uses tiny Alix boards from PC Engines for their new WiFi nodes. Metrix.net has some other boards commonly used for WiFi projects.
Perhaps Meraki’s $1200 solar powered system (right) could support an RF-ID reader. Meraki’s solar powered outdoor WiFi access points use lithium ion batteries with an integrated charge controller and can automatically link to nearby nodes using their 802.11g radios. The Meraki Dashboard manages your network. They can host it or you can host it.
Open-Mesh works with 3rd-party manufacturers and provides similar capabilities. The Open-Mesh dashboard, a web-based management solution, is also compatible with other dash solutions including Orangemesh, MeshConnect and Pro Mesh for anyone wanting to host their own web-based control panel.
The solar-powered Meraki can survive up to three days with no sunlight.
Alternatively, a complete solar WiFi system is available from Green WiFi (below).
You might make your own. Amazon has 50 watt panels with a charge controller for about $180. With a Clear WiMAX modem for backhaul ($80), and a 45 amp/hour marine battery ($80), a solar-powered node might built for under $500.
Add your favorite Wi-Fi access point and Dashboard management system. Sun-powered access points might be incorporated into bus shelters or train stops.
The Federal Bicycle Commuter Act, signed into law on Oct. 3, 2008, encourages employers to reward its employees who travel to work by bike, with $20.
Solar-powered nodes might be sponsored by newspapers. Tablets display live news and local ads. Ancillary income might be derived using RFID tags for joggers.
Public Alerts could be displayed on a scrolling reader board. News on the big screen. Signage PCs with Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi can be managed centrally. Public service as a commercial venture. Food Carts as media hubs.
Portland police will use Jive’s social networking tools to interact with community members through their “Portland Connects” initiative. The Haiti Live site is one model of the real-time web.
In related news, Veteran journalist Mark Schapiro explains the cap and trade carbon economy to Terry Gross and why the financial industry embraces it.
