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BIKO

·2 mins

Vehicular Networks and Cooperative Mobility Systems #

This course explored the technologies behind intelligent mobility, focusing on wireless communication, autonomous cooperative systems, and vehicular networks. I worked with concepts like V2X communication, network architecture, protocol stacks, and Internet integration.

We studied cooperative applications for mobility, their network requirements, and how to support them using event-driven and periodic services. At the transport level, I learned about MANET routing, location-based addressing, IPv6, and Mobile IP, gaining hands-on knowledge of how real-time communication and data flow are managed in dynamic, mobile environments.

Problem to solve #

For the final project we had to solve a mobility problem we found from queering people on the streets around our faculty. We choose bike theft.

Bike theft is a widespread issue in urban areas, discouraging people from using personal mobility devices like bicycles and scooters.

Despite physical locks, theft remains common and often goes unreported or unresolved, leading to low public trust and reduced adoption of eco-friendly transport.

Existing solutions lack real-time responsiveness and integration with smart city infrastructure.

BIKO #

Traditional anti-theft measures (locks, GPS trackers) are isolated and ineffective in real time. Urban areas lack decentralized, cooperative systems capable of detecting and responding to theft dynamically. BIKO addresses this by creating a local ad hoc network where devices communicate to monitor, detect, and report suspicious activity collectively.

Key Technologies & Architecture:

  • RSU-OBU Communication (Ad Hoc Network):
    BIKO creates a wireless communication link between On-Board Units (OBUs) on bikes and Road Side Units (RSUs) deployed in bike parking zones. This V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure) setup allows:

    • Authentication via RFID when entering or leaving a monitored zone.
    • Detection of stolen bikes.
    • Low-latency alerts to nearby RSUs in the absence of Internet.

  • OBU (On-Board Unit):

    • Embedded with RFID tag for user authentication and Raspberry pico for V2I communication.
    • Designed to be low-power, small, and easy to deploy.

  • RSU (Road Side Unit):

    • Raspberry Pi-based node with RFID reader, camera, and network interface.

    • Acts as a communication relay, interfacing with both the OBU locally and the centralized web system via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

  • Network Protocol Design:

    • Initial prototype uses Wi-Fi-based ad hoc communication to establish peer-to-peer discovery between RSUs and OBUs.

    • Supports future enhancements using MANET routing, location-based addressing, and V2X stack integration.

  • Web Application & Back-end:

    • Developed with Python (Flask) for user registration, theft alerts, and data visualization.

    • Alerts are pushed in real time to users and admins.