ShokaBell CyC Blg

Dear Backers!

Let me start today’s update with a personal note: as you guys might have noticed this update is long overdue. There is no good excuse for this, but my wife and I just welcomed our third child, Sarah. She’s six weeks old now and doing great.

So please excuse my terrible communication, but rest assure WE ARE ON TRACK. The most important good news is, which I hope will reassure you guys: that we have handed over all the required source files to our Contract Manufacturer!! See the rest below.

This is what we have solved since our last update

Most importantly which should assure you guys: we have handed over all the required source files to our Contract Manufacturer!!

We have added an RGB LED to the Mount for better user experience. It will display the different statuses of the device: ready for Bluetooth pairing/standby  bike alarmed

We have finished the Firmware version 1.0 This is something we are the proudest of, as we see this as the most mission critical element of a successful launch of Shoka, nobody wants’s to receive a product which could be easily bricked after first use, as we have seen this before with other product launches

Waterproofing the design, we are aiming for IP 54

We developed a standalone antenna for our Bluetooth device, tested the promised range of 250 meters, you won’t see these specs from anyone else shortly!

What are we working on now?

We have started real life testing - the latest battery operated - with Shoka to make sure the product operates in all conditions and on all types of bikes and handlebars

We are in the middle of redesigning our app for both Android and iOS devices

Launching our new website

Sending samples to distributors and retailers

Preparing for the Eurobike exhibition in Germany

Future tasks: name / duration / expected deadline

Mechanical design finalization - 3 weeks - week 20

Electronic components purchasing - 16 weeks - week 39

PCB for 1st build ready - 6 weeks - week 31

DFM for mechanical parts - 3 weeks - week 26

Tooling - 8 weeks - week 34

NRE item fabrication - 4 weeks - week 27

Engineering build 50 pcs - 4 weeks - week 41

Engineering build verification - 1 week - week 42

First batch assembly - 3 weeks - week 44

Week 44 means, Shoka will be shipped in December. I understand this news will frustrate some of you, but you would have been much more frustrated with a product which is not tested and could be easily bricked by a simple error in the code...

Why are we delaying shipping?

Let me give you my IMHO here. As you guys must have seen many crowdfunded projects gets delayed or canceled, sometimes by months or even over a year. I believe it’s because of the similar issues we are facing now. When a team starts to work on an idea to make into a product, they may underestimate the requirements and quality issues they will face preparing the product for DFM, the process what the contract manufacturer requires from you to put your product on the production line. As we fall in this well.

Because of this, every Team has to make a decision as to how far they are willing to invest into this process before they know that their product is needed (product validation through consumer demand aka crowdfunding) on the market. The DFM process is extremely capital heavy; we had to draw a red line on how far we were willing to invest our time and money before launching our campaign to DFM. Like in the case if you guys wouldn’t have shown up or decided to back this product, we would have invested all this capital into a project which would have never happened. Thanks for you this is not the case!

When we launched and built our first prototypes, I felt confident that we were halfway down the process… It turned out it was closer to 25-30%.

So this is the reason why we are facing - I mean you guys - are facing delay.

Anyway, we're incredibly grateful for your support of the community and products we're building. Today, we want to share recent Shoka Bell development and manufacturing news. By carefully focusing on the details — and putting in a lot of effort and resources to make Shoka Bell a reality — we want to be confident that you’ll love yours from day one. Quality is a critical issue for us, and we will ship only the best product to you.

Thanks again for your continued support!

Hi Everyone, we created Shoka Bell because we want to make it easier and safer to get around in our cities. We have been working on Shoka for the past 2 years, and we are now ready to bring it to your handlebars. But, we need your help to enter production. Be among the first backers and with your help we  can make cycling both smarter and safer for everyone.

Shoka Bell essentially unclutters your handlebars by bringing four functionalities together in one sleek, stylish and simple device!

Navigation - Simply connect your bell to the Shoka app, set your destination and let the top LEDs guide you

Safety and Community - Every time a Shoka Bell is rung, the data is collected and alerts riders that a difficult route or junction is ahead

Bell -  The joystick on Shoka Bell allows users to make 8 different custom sounds - e.g a loud honk for a passing car or a simple ring for a pedestrian

Security Alarm - Take your bell with you, the permanently attached clamp acts as motion sensor and alerts you if your bike is moved

Light - Adaptive light with 8 front facing LEDs so that you can be seen, but not blind anyone

Shoka Bell launches on Kickstarter on 2nd Aug 1pm GMT and you can see the launch page and teaser video below.

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/44592-the-smart-bicycle-bell

We’re getting ready to launch our crowdfunding campaign, and we’d love to have some of your input. 

As we prepare for the launch of our crowdfunding campaign, it is also really important to us that we deliver our product in a timely manner. In order to do so, we need the manufacturing partner that we trust.

To be honest, this task is more difficult than we initially imagined back when we first started to work on Shoka. The difference between making a prototype and mass manufacturing a developed product, is similar to the difference between riding a three-wheeler in kindergarten and later riding in an Olympic race. Now that we’re well on our way, we are beginning to understand why so many hardware startups go bust when they chose the wrong manufacturing partner; we definitely don’t want to follow suit. That said, we just spent 5 days in Shenzhen and met with numerous Contract Manufactures. Our schedule was busy, to say the least, but we didn’t come home empty-handed! During our trip we were able to pick up our first aluminium CNC-machined cases. You can get a sneak peek below:

Now, we have begun to negotiate with a top-tier manufacturer who has production facilities in both Europe and Asia.  Our goal is to keep CO2 emissions low during shipping, and get our product delivered as soon as possible. We’ll keep you updated on this process.

Debut at CES ASIA

Speaking of China we made a the trip to CES Asia to show the world our functional prototype. It was a great surprise for us that anyone walked by our booth wanted to feel it, listen it and touch it. We will give you a more detailed view about our trip.

Why headgear on the road is important, but not necessary…

When we launched our new website a few weeks back, almost immediately we began to receive feedback concerning the video featured on the homepage. Designed to demonstrate the full capabilities of ShokaBell, this video shows a young woman riding her bike without a helmet, and many of our followers pointed out that this was a poor example of safe cycling habits.

The thing is that in Hungary, where we are based, helmets are not a requirement for cyclers. However, we do recognize that this is not the case everywhere, and so your comments got us thinking━should helmets really be necessary for cyclers? What are the two sides of this infamous biking debate?

Why You Should Wear A Helmet

Let’s make one thing clear off the bat. No one in their right mind would say that you absolutely should not wear a helmet while biking, or should not take certain measures to ensure your safety (and possibly others’) while on the road.

Very few people doubt the effectiveness of helmets in certain cases. It’s true that if the impact during a cycling accident is too great, no amount of helmet will save the rider. However, in most cases having a helmet could definitely prevent injury to the brain or head.

There are a whole slew of studies conducted all over the world that all conclude that wearing a helmet does keep a rider safe in most scenarios.

A NYU School of Medicine study published in 2015 found that “helmeted bicyclists were 72% less likely to sustain TBI [traumatic brain injury] compared with un-helmeted bicyclists”.

Another Danish study published in 2015 found that “there is scientific evidence of bicycle helmet efficacy with a protective effect on serious brain injury of 63–88%”.

Evidently helmets can work, and if you feel safer whilst wearing one, then by all means do! The American Association of Neurological Surgeons suggests that of all sports, cycling brings the most people to the ER with injuries, many of which are sustained to the head. So if you are an avid cycler your helmet is your best friend━no one can argue with that.

Why Wearing a Helmet Isn’t Necessary

So wearing a helmet will help in many cases, there is little argument against the science. However, those who call for the repeal of helmet laws don’t necessarily say that helmets aren’t effective. Instead they question why cyclers, out of all other entities on the road, are singled out by policymakers.

While studies show that wearing a helmet can prevent brain injury, other studies show that the likelihood of actually getting a head injury while on the road is far more probable if you are in a car, or even walking down the street, then if you are riding a bicycle. If this is the case, then why aren’t drivers and pedestrians also required to wear helmets?

It seems silly when you imagine everyone in cars and on the streets wearing helmets. But if cyclers are required to wear them, then logically so should everyone else. For more on this line of thinking, check out this TEDTalkfrom Mikael Colville-Andersen, who very eloquently poses the anti-helmet side of this dilemma.

When it comes to helmets, people also point to the psychological effects of the headgear. When someone is wearing a helmet, they say, he or she feels safer and therefore will ride more dangerously.

According to an article published in the New York Times in 2001, “the rate of head injuries per active cyclist increased 51 percent just as bicycle helmets have become widespread”. This statistic concerns cyclers in the United States, where all states have very strict helmet laws.

Another study conducted at the University of Bath Department of Psychology found that when wearing a helmet, test subjects showed an increase in risky behaviour; a test subject’s “appetite for risk” was far great when he or she was wearing a helmet.

So by this train of thought, we are led to believe that not only is it unfair for only cyclists to have to wear helmets, but that by forcing them to do so, we might be enabling them to take more risks while on the road.

The final argument against helmets is that they promote an anti-bicycle attitude. As we noted earlier, the risk of receiving a head injury while biking is actually less than that of while driving a car or even walking down the street. So when we make only cyclers wear helmets, we are sending a very clear message, one that is anti-bike and pro-automobile.

Where do you stand?

At the end of the day, Shoka is about developing a cycling culture that is convenient, social and most importantly, safe. So while you can argue both sides of the helmet debate, it’s important to remember that taking any and all measures for a safer riding experience is of the utmost importance!

We have some big news ━ our app is officially launched! What’s awesome about the Shoka app is that you can use it without the bell as your automatic cycling diary. Shoka is now available in the App Store this development is the beginning of a long road so do give it a try and let us know what you think!

Another big milestone, we just launched our new website! It’s no big deal, but we are quite proud of the new design, and we just published our latest trailer video on there, which will also be featured on our upcoming Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign alongside with the features video.

There is only one key component that have been held up a bit: our responsive joystick for which are still investigating the final module. We promise the wait will be worth it.

And yes, the Bell will work with Strava and Endomondo!

There are ordinary, boring bells for bicycles - and then there are ShokaBell. ShokaBell is not just a bell that says "ding" - it can say many different sounds, depending on who you want to call by. For example, a small, discreet "ding" after a mother with her young child on a bicycle, which fills the entire bike path - and a loud, aggressive "BÅÅÅT" after a car cuts you and drive into the bike lane.

Talking with your phone

ShokaBell are naturally using an app on your mobile phone - that is, to upload different sounds for bell via phone and can then activate them via a small switch on the bell. The sounds can be virtually any audio files, so you can in theory also Ozzy Ozbourne to scream at the presumptuous that irritate you on your way through traffic. A built-in microphone ensures that at adjusts the volume to how much noise there is in the surroundings.

Much more than a bell

Now you might think that it's smart enough in itself, you can choose which sounds you want to call the people, but it is far from everything ShokaBell can do; bell also functions as a bicycle lamp - which incidentally even turn on when it gets dark. In addition, the lamp in conjunction with your phone can also be used to navigate. There are LEDs all the way to the top of ShokaBell and LED diodes on top can display arrows when you should turn to find your way.

also alarm system

Last, but not least, ShokaBell serves also as an alarm system. Once you've parked your bike, you will be notified if someone moves on - both by the lamp emit a loud sound and know that your phone will sound an alarm. The wireless connection, according to the manufacturer reach up to 400 meters - but if you are much further away is the bike enough anyway stolen when you get back to it.

ShokaBell is not yet on the market but you can sign up and get notified when it can be ordered through their website here.

“Startup awards are all about creating buzz for the concept and it reassures founders that it makes sense to carry on. But, after all, it’s the market that decides your fate,” says Dániel Falus, CEO of Shoka. CESA’s “Best UX Startup of the Year” promises to turn your bicycle into a ‘smartbike’ through its special bell.

“The bell is the most important safety feature for a cyclist in the daytime; it has the same function as a lamp at night. While Shoka Bell is twice as loud as standard bells, it has different ringtones for cars and pedestrians and it navigates you with its led light and audio system,” Falus explains.

Statistics support the idea that there is no such thing as enough safety. According to European Road Safety Observatory (ERSO) figures, the number of cyclist fatalities dropped by a third in the EU in the 2004–2013 period. However, in 2013 still around 2,000 people were killed in bike accidents, and they make up 7.8% of the total number of road accident fatalities.

An app enhances the user experience as its anti-theft function alerts the biker if the vehicle is taken away, but also sends a signal if an acquaintance is riding nearby. “We are committed to utility cyclers, and we are bringing them the product they deserve. By 2017, Shoka will be widely available with possible features like a camera add-on,” Falus says.

Growth projections couldn’t look better. In large European cities, bicycle penetration is 20% on average and in Europe alone 17 million new bicycles are sold every year. No wonder Shoka is about sign an agreement with a Singaporean investor that, along with a crowdfunding campaign scheduled for next March, should give the ultimate push to get Shoka Bell going for real.

Apple just approved our Public Beta version. With the App now you can automatically track your rides, see yours and your friends stats, integrate your Instagram pictures with the #getshoka tag.

Also to see how much CO2 emission have you saved with your friends and much more to come!

A quick update on the latest and what’s about to happen at Shoka.

We’ll launch our Shoka App for iPhone – yes, the public version – within the next several weeks on the App Store. Again, a big round of applause goes out to the volunteers who tested it in beta and provided feedback.

We’d be nowhere without you! The Android and Apple Watch versions are scheduled for later on.

Second, and not to pat our own backs too heartily, but we won in the 2015 Best User Experience category last week in the Central European Startup Awards. In addition to the engraved wooden block we received, we get to brag about it for the next 12 months. At least. Woohoo! Again, your input helped get us there. You can still join to our Private Beta Test program here: https://betas.to/ByWGEp7n

Lastly, we’d love for your bicycling-enthusiast friends to get into our wheelhouse as well! Give us a shoutout! Share something about us by using #getshoka and we will sure award the best contents! We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/getshoka, at shoka_me on Twitter, and on Facebook at facebook.com/shokameapp.

Keep on cycling,

Daniel and the Shoka Team

Hey Shoka Fans!

We keep it short: So things are really starting to heat up for the ShokaBell release. We were recently featured on Product Hunt and there’s quite a buzz about our new design mockups. Pre-orders are now available on the website and we already got a few orders and our Kickstarter launch is right around the corner. The campaign will go live on October 15th, and with your help, we should be shipping out the first Bells before the beginning of the next biking season in 2016. Stay tuned for regular updates on our progress in these last few weeks before the Kickstarter campaign begins! Oh, if you have ever considered the notion of spreading the word about ShokaBell on social media, now would be a great time to make the leap! This is crucial time for us to build momentum and every little bit helps.

The best way to follow our news is to like our Facebook Page.

Sincerely,

The Shoka Team