Shih-Yen Lo

BCAM makes our smartphone the new Swiss army knife of cycling.

Ten per cent of people cycle recreationally at least once per month in the UK; Britons have bought 3.2 million bikes, to the values of £745 million. The unit sales of action cameras worldwide went from 0.2 in2 010 to 5.5 million in 2014. On the other hand, in 2012, a total of 18,973 cyclists were injured and 118 killed.

I want to do something about the situation and provide a better cycling experience. So I created the BCAM.

Imagine that our smartphones worked as a cycle computer and at the same time, a sport camera. This is exactly what BCAM does. Simply mount the smartphone on the bike with the specially designed BCAM mount, and the world of cycling would be totally different.

There are four scenarios for BCAM: the first one is SPORT. In this mode, BCAM records and combines data using the video. It then allows us to share that data with friends, or to simply log and check how we perform in each ride. We are able see how we could do better on a particular climb next time, or choose a better route when cornering, or keep a steadier cadence in a particular segment.

The second mode is TRAINING. With the recorded data and video, we will be able to train ourselves and challenge each other. BCAM links our smartphone to a trainer to simulate any segment in the world, with real recorded video contributed by peer cyclists. We can not only challenge our records on a certain route but also compete against others, who could be anywhere in the world. Imagine if we could do the Tour de France in London? The answer is here, the trainer will simulate the terrain of the route with different level of resistance and you will see exactly what Sir Bradley Wiggins sees in each stage of the Tour de France.

The third mode is CITY, where the camera of the smart records video in an interval-looping mode like a dash camera. The video could be used for inspection when needed.

The final mode is TOURING. If you don’t want any extra apps in your phone, then this is exactly for you. Simply use the built-in camera app to take video and enjoy the ride.