Smoothie bikes are a great way to make a nutritious beverage while getting a workout at the same time. [Tony Goacher] was approached by a local college, though, which had a problem with this technology. Namely, that students were using them and leaving them filthy. They posed a simple question—could these bikes become something else?
[Tony’s] solution was simple—the bikes would be turned into game controllers. This was easily achieved by fitting a bi-color disc into the blender assembly. As the wheel on the bike turns, it spins up the blender, with the disc inside. An ESP32 microcontroller paired with a light sensor is then able to count pulses as the disc spins, getting a readout of the blender’s current RPM. Working backwards, this can then be calculated out into the bike’s simulated road speed and used to play a basic game on an attached Raspberry Pi. Notably, the rig is setup such that the Raspberry Pi and one bike connect to an access point hosted by the other bike. This is helpful, because it means neither bike has too many dangling cables that could get caught up in a wheel or chain.
We’ve seen many amusing game peripherals over the years, from salad spinners to turntables. Video after the break.
I have an exercise bike and would love to use it as a controller for a racing sim. I don’t have nearly the programming skill that would take though.
Great way to learn how to program! I originally started “serious” programming because I wanted to continue playin tabletop Mechwarrior with my friends from college back in the mid-90’s. I taught myself javascript and that has lead to a great career! 30 years later we’re still playing, although we have much better tools these days.
How does this help with washing?
Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to not cause it in the first place.
you know, taking the old Atari video game Paperboy and merging it with a stationary bike may be worth the effort (and I assume has already been done).
We did consider this but we’d need to put an angle sensor on the handlebars, and on a smoothie bike they can’t be turned. Could probably be done with some metalwork but the remit was to make the changes none destructive.
Going to get the kids on the college computer software/gaming courses to have a game writing hackathon and see what they come up with.
Can loosen the nut restraining the handlebars going into the gooseneck. Leads to other issues not mentioned, but….. does allow the handle bars to turn, however
Hmmm..maybe I can look into this.Thanks!
You could just use a thumb button on each hand grip. Still more immersive than a metal stick and microswitches.