How it started with Moto Bt'n

What even is Moto Bt'n?

Moto Bt'n is the name for my invention. And yes it has to do with motorcycles and, perhaps you figured this as well, buttons. What a creative name, right? But I am proud of if anyway.

So my motorcycling button(s), aka Moto Bt'n, is an accessory which has the noble goal of improving the rider's experience. It can do it in two ways. The first is where it actually all started so bare with me on this one.

The second way is actually bit more unique as there is no other device like this available (assuming it is not just my inability to use search engine). This is when one device connects with other devices and form a network where they can all communicate and share information about the situation in the group. It is really cool because communication in a group of riders can be a challenging discipline. I mean unless you use intercoms, but sometimes even so (pairing problems, necessity to keep order, problems when one disconnects, reception quality degradation with increasing distance, you name it). And Moto Bt'n really offers a lightweight solution where riders can let the group know if they need fuel, take a pause, or they have a problem. Additionally, and I honestly love this feature, the Bt'n can indicate a missing rider - it can be someone who is just slower but it can also mean they took a wrong turn or even worst. But dark scenarios aside, Bt'n is designed for great user experience so no struggles forming the group or using it in general. it is all super simple. Btw, the group can be much bigger that what most of the intercoms can do (currently over 20 members can form a group and it can be still improved).

Anyway, detail description of the features is a topic for another article, let's move on with the story.

Original idea

It all started when I realized how much I miss a reliable way to control my phone when riding a motorcycle. As probably many of you do as well, I use phone as sat navigation on my trips and zooming in a and out is really something I was missing. Let me explain. When you go faster (I mean just out of city, not moto GP) having visibility in greater distance comes handy while in the city or when approaching a more complex intersection more detailed view helps a lot. And there is one more situation, I really like to check from time to time if I'm going the right direction by zooming out even more. You know the situations when the navigation decides to reroute you which can be pretty annoying.

Another, and perhaps even more important reason for the phone control is audio for me. I like to listen to audio books or podcasts on longer rides. I know it is not everyone's favorite but I like it. The problem comes when I don't like it anymore. I don't usually stop too often but I had to stop to turn the audio off when it was already too much or I wanted to enjoy a curvy road.

The phone control doesn't need to be only reliable but also safe. So I didn't consider messing with the touch screen as an option and you shouldn't either, please.

So I was suddenly looking for a remote controller for my phone that can control the multimedia (play, pause, next track, volume, etc.) and operate maps. It was supposed to motorcycle compatible (handlebar friendly) and water resistant.

The multimedia was not a big deal, there are many cheap Bluetooth remotes available on Ali.., Ama.. really anywhere. And the water resistance was just question of price. However the map zooming and the "mountability" was much bigger problem. Long story short, there are other remote controllers for motorcycles that have it all but for what price, even over 300$, I was shocked. So I did some research and decided to build my own solution.

Originally, I only wanted to build a hobby project for myself and potentially build few more for friends. But one day I got the idea. It will support connectivity and I will make all riders around me using it instead of weird gestures when trying to communicate something. And not long after I realized that I can also implement a feature to recognize a disconnected device. That was the real innovation. I usually ride first when riding in a group and that comes with demanding task of continuous counting in my mirrors - are we all or is there anyone missing? This is a solution for all my problems I figured. And maybe a solution to yours as well…

- Jan -