Halo by Lumaride
Halo is a behavioral safety device that attaches to kids’ bikes to monitor and improve how they ride. Unlike tools that only track or react, Halo builds safer habits through real-time awareness, proactive insights, and positive reinforcement - helping teens ride smarter and giving parents peace of mind without micromanaging.
Timeline
8 weeks, Spring 2025
Team
Lumaride
Tools
Rhino
Role
Physical Product Designer
Team Lumaride
Our team of nine graduate students worked together on this project, which involved much more than what is shown here, including market analysis, a companion user interface, unit economics, product roadmaps, competitor analysis, and go-to-market strategies. The contribution that I did on my own was the physical device and this is what I will focus on here! The class was designed so that we started the prototyping design around 2-3 weeks before the course ended. If you are interested in learning more about other aspects of the project, please feel free to reach out!
Problem Space
Micromobility injuries are rising. Current safety tools only track location, not riding behavior. Without behavior insights, parents feel anxious and powerless about their kids' safety.
01 Research
TARGET MARKET
To better understand the needs of our end users (the children) and our customers (the parent), we have two primary personas that reflect our target audience. These personas are inspired by the people we interviewed. The first is the purchaser - a safety-conscious parent looking for tools to support their child’s growing independence but keeping safety at the forefront. The second is the end user -the child who will use the product while biking. These personas help ground our design decisions in real-world needs and behaviors.
COMPETITOR RESEARCH CREATES OUR FEATURES MATRIX
We researched our competitors to see where design opportunities exist. From that research, we were able to identify how Halo could differentiate themselves from others. We found that we can make Halo uniquely blend behavioral intelligence, emotional design, and dual-sided value to address those identified gaps.
02 Design
WHAT IT IS
Our bike has two sensor placements that work together to create Halo!
-
Underseat Monitor: A compact device beneath the seat with rear- and side-facing sensors that detect fast-approaching objects. Reflective materials boost visibility, creating full-angle awareness.
-
Handlebar Attachment: Features our orange metal design and a circular LED interface that lights up to show direction and type of approaching hazards, from cars to pedestrians. It connects in real time with the rear device.
The two devices pair to the parents' mobile app (designed by Susan!).
REAR DEVICE (UNDERSEAT-MOUNTED) SENSOR SYSTEM
Our system includes a combination of smart and traditional safety features.
-
Camera: Mounted at the back of the device, this module classifies oncoming objects using computer vision and provides contextual input to the front attachment, rider-facing interface.
-
LiDAR Sensors: Strategically positioned on the sides of the rear device to monitor blind spots and detect lateral and rear-approaching objects. The rear placement minimizes vibration interference, ensuring higher fidelity in distance and motion detection.
-
Gyroscope: Continuously tracks orientation changes to identify sudden shifts or instability. When combined with data from the Hall effect sensor (measuring wheel speed), the system can infer a potential crash event and trigger an immediate alert through the rider-facing interface.
-
Retroreflector: A passive visibility enhancement feature using a standard bicycle reflector to increase detectability by vehicles in low-light conditions.
FRONT DEVICE (HANDLEBAR-MOUNTED) SENSOR SYSTEM
Our system includes a combination of smart and traditional safety features.
Speed Tracking
Shows current speed with a color-changing gauge that turns red when exceeding the set limit.
Semi-Navigation (vNEXT)
Provides simple, distraction-free navigation with street names to guide riders while keeping their focus on the road.
Emergency Response
Auto-activates a “Calling 911” alert with a countdown and cancel option after a crash.
Approaching Vehicles Warning
Warns riders of approaching vehicles with directional alerts that intensify as danger nears.