A deep dive into the biometric access module

Dear backers,

In our last update we asked for your opinion on starting a mini series to walk through the design, development process, and fuctionality of each customized bike component. Thank you all for the positive response. We’re hoping to publish weekly, subject to available time as we enter the critical production phase. Getting your Reevo into your hands remains our top priority.

In the first installment of this series, we will be looking at the biometric access module.

Motivation and functionality

When we first conceptualized Reevo, biometric access was one of our very first “must-have” features. Security has always been an issue that plagued e-bike users, with over 2m bikes stolen annually in North America alone. Therefore, we wanted to design Reevo as a secure bike with robust integrated security systems that can be locked an unlocked with just one touch – a bike that is uniquely yours.

The biometric access module functions as the interface for the rider to authenticate his/her identity. Up to 5 fingerprints can be registered via the Reevo app and are stored locally on the bike. When the bike is parked (stationary and security systems engaged), authenticating your fingerprint will unlock all security systems and wake the bike from its idle state. When parking the bike (stationary and security systems not engaged), this same action will immediately engage all security systems and activate the GPS geofencing function. For safety reasons, the biometric access module is disabled when the bike is moving.

The turn signals and adaptive pedal assist level selector are also integrated into this module. Based on our early prototypes, we positioned this module to be close to a rider’s natural thumb resting position so that these important functions can be easily accessed and are always within reach. The adaptive pedal assist level can be selected via 2 buttons (up and down) while the turn signals can be triggered by sliding the module to the left or right.

As this biometric access module is the first of its kind on any e-bike, it had to be designed and engineered from scratch.

Design process and challenges

The main design challenge that we faced is weather-proofing the module while retaining sliding functionality and the all-in-one design in a compact footprint. We went back to the drawing board many times, and finally succeeded with the design that you see on the bike today. Weather-proofing was achieved with a special tape sealant that is normally used on mobile phones and a coating on the electronics.

Here are some early drawings from our development folder.