Running HiveBike as a Startup
Starting my Sophomore year of college, I worked with a team of students on a to develop a hardware startup. HiveBike was a new, greener take on the digital bikesharing model. Our goal was to make a bike sharing system that didn’t require clunky and expensive one-size-fits-all bikes, and infrastructure like docking racks. Instead, we would create a custom digital smart lock, and attach them to abandoned bicycles to give them new life as a shared fleet. As HiveBike’s cofounder and chief engineer, I had to prototype, design and build a smart bike lock that could interface with an app that would record payment, location, battery life, open/close status, and customer feedback. My lock needed to be safe, sturdy, weatherproof, cheap, ergonomic and easy to use without instruction. We started completely from scratch. Shown below is my earliest mockup, which utilized a circular ring that users would loop through the rear tire [A]. This prototype demonstrated the range of motion [B] and mounting of the lock [C].
A
B
C
Locking Mechanism
This compact electromechanical device had to be able to open and close the lock, as well as provide reliable sensory confirmation of locked/unlocked status of the bike. The final design used a moving peg block that was driven by a cam gear. The positions of the peg block and gear were monitored by electric switches, and the whole assembly was driven by a small DC motor. The design had to be made in parts, starting with a test part [A] and [B], then finally the completed locking module [C].
A
B
C
Final Design
Using Solidworks and real condition testing, I refined the design and manufacturing process for each successive prototype. The final models sported a sleeker exterior with a removable battery sleeve, a sealed electronics compartment, and a fully drafted design that might be more easily adapted to injection molding. Final designs even demonstrated more refined material usage, making optimal use of fiberglass-laced mechanical components, and both oil and graphite based mechanical lubricants. Considering that I designed, manufactured, finished and assembled this entire bike lock, I’m quite proud of the result.
Launch
After a year of development, HiveBike acquired funding and community approval to launch our first full bike sharing service on campus. We built a repair shop to refurbish and maintain our initial fleet, set up battery charging zones, and created a customer service app feature allowing users to leave reviews and report damage. HiveBike became fully operational in spring 2019. In just the first two weeks, we saw over 250 rides and the smart lock never malfunctioned.
HiveBike was quickly recognized for its innovative technology and its positive environmental and social impact. Business Today selected HiveBike as one of the five most promising startups of 2018, as part of its International Impact Challenge. HiveBike was also chosen, from over 7,500 applicants, as a Y Combinator Silicon Valley Accelerator finalist. In both cases, I was flown in by the sponsoring organization to help pitch our business plan to potential investors.
