Smart bike technology takes some test runs in downtown Las Vegas

While a lot of “smart city” technology focuses on motor vehicles, one startup company wants to shift some of the emphasis toward cyclist safety.

Charles River Analytics, a Boston-based company, has created technology that allows bicycles to communicate with connected vehicles and smart-city technology to promote safer shared roadways.

The city of Las Vegas contacted the company to test the technology in the Innovation District downtown. It’s the first real-world testing Charles River Analytics has done with the system, which it calls Multimodal Alerting Interface with Networked Short-range Transmissions (MAIN-ST)

“This is technology that’s being pushed really hard in the automotive space,” said Michael Jenkins, senior scientist with Charles River Analytics. “… What we’re doing is focusing on the pedestrian and bicyclist because they’re vulnerable transportation users who are often overlooked.”

The idea was funded by a $750,000 research grant awarded to the company this summer by the Federal Highway Administration that will be disbursed over two years. The FHA isn’t endorsing the MAIN-ST technology, Jenkins said, but it is interested in pushing technology forward for safer cycling.

The system employs a two-tiered approach: The bicyclist is quickly informed about what’s going on in the vicinity, and the bicycle’s location and speed are communicated to other connected devices.

A computer placed near the crankshaft of the bike runs various algorithms and prioritizes alerts to the cyclist. When an alert is needed, a message is sent via Bluetooth technology to an LED unit with a speaker installed on the handlebars.

“We get information from the network, and we’re able to relay basic information, general warnings and high-level alerts that are used to help them make safer riding decisions,” Jenkins said.

One of the basic alerts Charles River Analytics tested out last week downtown was providing upcoming traffic light information.

“It gives them a little signal warning