By Angie Bardsley, ITS Administrative Assistant
Keith Conger, ITS systems administrator, won an Invent America contest in middle school for designing an oxygen-making diving suit, and he’s been inventing ever since. So it’s no surprise that he turned a serious motorcycle accident into a creative opportunity. A few years ago, he was riding in three lanes of rush hour traffic when his front tire rapidly lost pressure causing him to lose control. Thanks to the protective gear he was wearing, Conger wasn’t badly injured, but it got him thinking about how an app featuring audible alerts could help prevent future accidents.
He worked on the app for more than a year, but shelved it to work on other projects. But when he came across Google’s Android Experiments I/O Challenge and with just a week to add the finishing touches, he was able to finish the app and submit it in early Spring 2016. Google received entries from all over the world, and Conger’s app was selected as one of only five runner-up winners.
To build the app, he began with the complicated process of reverse engineering the messages sent between the different computer modules on his bike, pinpointing which data points were linked to each component, such as headlights and engine temperature. After gathering as much information as he could, he custom-built the hardware, wrote the software, designed the circuit board, and fabricated a dashboard replacement using a 3D printer.
His final product includes audio alerts for low tire pressure, light failure, freeze warnings when roads could become icy, and high engine temperature. The app also notifies the rider when fuel levels are low, and shows the location of the nearest gas station using Google Maps.
According to Google, “The communication between apps is really useful – like being able to locate nearby gas stations. Using technology in this way is inspiring to us all.” When it comes to creating new technology, Conger says he strongly supports collaboration and information sharing. While building his app, he worked with people in Australia, Germany, and the United States. He also open-source published his app. While it won’t work for all motorcycles, it does provide a foundation for others to build their own versions. “I believe in giving back,” he explains.
Conger now plans to build a custom seven-inch Android device to serve as his motorcycle’s dashboard because none of the off-the-shelf devices have everything he wants — more inspiration for whatever he invents next!
