#getshoka

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.

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!