Raspberry Pi trail signs

Good thought.

It might be best to approach it with a sign that illuminates to say "Path is clear" rather than lighting to indicate "Oncoming User".

People tend to rely heavily on such technology, and a failure could cause a dangerous assumption that the route is clear.

That makes sense. Leaning towards caution seems the better route. This is a neat project idea none-the-less.

I didn't think of that. Thanks!

Question is how are we going to differentiate between a person and a bike?

Am I right to assume this is a human powered bike not a motor bike?

Also as Paul alluded to since they tend to believe and rely on such devices and then you become responsible for all accidents you should default to the Unknown or  contended path condition only saying it's free when it's VERY sure.

Maybe doppler radar modules or some machine vision would be useful as this would allow you recognise fast cyclists vs slow ramblers!

yes, we are talking pedal bikes. The main idea is to warn bikers when pedestrians are on the trail, so maybe infrared systems set up at certain points where it uses multiple beams to measure how fast the object is moving, or tell between the two. The system could then (in a perfect world) have one of these systems at the beginning and end of the trail to tell when the person has left the trail.

I may be confused by your American word "trail" here - but I take it to be what we, in the UK , would call a path or track in the countryside (ie not in a town).

I'm sorry to be a pain but the last thing I want to see is the countryside littered with electronics, signs etc.

Near where I live (SW Scotland) there are some dedicated mountain bike "trails"  and any walker with any sense at all assumes that there are (or are likely to be) bikes on them - there is a board with a map on it in the car park - it seems to be sufficient.

In towns it may be a different story.

MK

Also here in the UK pedestrians have a terrible habit of wandering off the path altogether, which might really confuse your system.

Sometimes we do it just to be awkward.

I want to ask how will you power the Pi. Battery and some kind of solar charger?

I want to suggest that would be better to use an Arduino to your project. Is smaller, consumes less power and you can handle easier leds and sensors

Hi dtsartsanis

I haven't made a platform recommendation, my comment was intended initially to outline a potential issue should the device fail.

If asked to choose between Arduino and Raspberry Pi, I would opt for Arduino based on a number of factors:

1. Power consumption
2. Cost
3. Theft (related to cost, and appeal of Raspberry Pi)
4. Size (Could be implemented into a smaller product).

3dprinterwannabe

The more I think about this project the better it feels/sounds.

I would take the suggestion made by Dimitios and investigate Arduino. It would be an excellent project to introduce you to Microcontrollers, Sensors, LED Matrixes, Wireless communication, Solar power and power management.

If you have access to a 3d printer you could print an enclosure to house the components. The finished product could be tie wrapped to a gate post and operate autonomously.

I would take Michaels comments onboard, and design the unit in such a way that it doesn't turn the countryside into a disco.

This project could easily be broken down in to a series of small challenges that will eventually come together as a finished product.

If you would like some help, myself and the rest of the community would be more than willing to assist you