A team of Hungarian inventors is looking to help ease the stress of raising would-be Evil Knievels by developing a remote controlled bicycle brake. Dubbed MiniBrake, the device can be attached to the seat post of a typical bike frame and puts braking entirely under the control of nervous, onlooking parents.
The MiniBrake system is made up of a braking unit, which can be installed using a single Allen key, and an oval-shaped remote around the size of a palm. As the toddler builds up speed, making a beeline for that busy intersection or solid brick fence, a push of the button will cause the brake to press down on the rear tire and bring the bike to a stop.
How quickly exactly will depend of course on how fast they are traveling. The company does say however that a moving bike can be safely brought to a halt within half a meter (1.65 ft). Once the brake has been applied, a second push of the button will release the tire and allow the wheel to spin freely.
The MiniBrake system has a range of 50 m (164 ft). It sports an LED on the side of the braking unit to indicate the life of the battery and that all parts are in working order. As an added security feature, the brake is configured to activate automatically if the battery goes flat, if any parts are not functioning correctly or if the child rides out of range.
The brake is designed for children as young as two years and up to a maximum of 35 kg (77 lb). The company has functioning prototypes and has taken the MiniBrake to Indiegogo to raise funds for commercial production. A pledge of US$80 will put you in line for one of the remote control brakes, with the team hoping to begin shipping in June 2014.
You can hear from the team behind MiniBrake in the video below.
Source: MiniBrake
