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Article
Publication date: 22 June 2021

Rameesh Lakshan Bulathsinghala, Sandun Fernando, Thantirige Sanath Siroshana Jayawardana, Nilanthi Heenkenda, Sajeeva Jeyakumar, Prathees Packiyarasa, Gamage Hemamala and Dhananatha Wijesena

Motorcycle is one of the popular modes of transport in developing countries. However, the statistics related to accidents show that motorcycles are the most vulnerable vehicles…

Abstract

Purpose

Motorcycle is one of the popular modes of transport in developing countries. However, the statistics related to accidents show that motorcycles are the most vulnerable vehicles. Research studies have revealed that half of all the possible types of motorcycle injuries could be reduced or prevented using effective protective clothing. Facts and figures emphasize that this is high time to develop a safety jacket for motorbike riders. This paper aims to develop an innovative, integrated automatic air-inflated tubeless jacket to prevent major injuries in fatal accidents.

Design/methodology/approach

Two accelerometers integrated near the front axle, an angle sensor and the electronic control unit (ECU) were used to detect the collision or accident. The sensors were fixed on the bike and connected with the ECU via a bluetooth device that was always at the activated stage. The fused sensors were emulated with the ECU under laboratory conditions. The trigger signal generated by the crash discriminant algorithm triggered the chemical reaction to generate N2 gas and inflate the tubeless safety jacket.

Findings

Under laboratory conditions, it was found that the signal generated by the ECU unit ejected approximately 15 litres of N2 gas in volume to fill the jacket within 100 milliseconds, which was less than the approximate estimated falling time of the rider 120 milliseconds.

Originality/value

The existing developments of airbag systems in motorbikes are mounted on the motorbikes' frame, following the airbag systems in automobiles. These developments cannot fully protect the rider due to differentiation in crash dynamics and respective positions of the rider at the point of impact. Though few safety jackets and airbag vests are developed, the airbag deployment is activated when rider and motorbike separated during a collision using a tether-triggering mechanism. The authors designed the jacket so that inflation is activated not only by crash sensors but also on the fusion of multiple sensors based on a crash discriminative algorithm. The airbag deployment mechanism is incorporated with the jacket and acts as a safety jacket during a collision.

Details

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1560-6074

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2015

Tony de Souza-Daw, Robert Ross, Truong Duy Nhan, Le Anh Hung, Nguyen Duc Quoc Trung, Le Hai Chau, Hoang Minh Phuong, Le Hoang Ngoc and Mathews Nkhoma

The purpose of this paper is to present a low-cost, highly mobile system for performing street-level imaging. Street-level imaging and geo-location-based services are rapidly…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a low-cost, highly mobile system for performing street-level imaging. Street-level imaging and geo-location-based services are rapidly growing in both popularity and coverage. Google Street View and Bing StreetSide are two of the free, online services which allow users to search location-based information on interactive maps. In addition, these services also provide software developers and researchers a rich source of street-level images for different purposes – from identifying traffic routes to augmented reality applications. Currently, coverage for Street View and StreetSide is limited to more affluent Western countries with sparse coverage throughout south-east Asia and Africa. In this paper, we present a low-cost system to perform street-level imaging targeted towards the congested, motorcycle-dominant south-east Asian countries. The proposed system uses a catadioptric imaging system to capture 360-degree panoramic images which are geo-located using an on-board GPS. The system is mounted on the back of a motorcycle to provide maximum mobility and access to narrow roads. An innovative backwards remapping technique for flattening the images is discussed along with some results from the first 150 km which have been captured from Southern Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

The design was a low-cost prototype design using low-cost off-the-shelf hardware with custom software and assembly to facilitate functionality.

Findings

The system was shown to work well as a low-cost omnidirectional mapping solution targeted toward sea-of-motorbike road conditions.

Research limitations/implications

Some of the pictures returned by the system were unclear. These could be improved by having artificial lighting (currently only ambient light is used), a gyroscope-stabilised imaging platform and a higher resolution camera.

Originality/value

This paper discusses a design which facilitates low-cost, street-level imaging for a sea-of-motorcycle environment. The system uses a catadioptric imaging approach to give a wide field of view without excessive image storage requirements using dozens of cameras.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 June 2008

“Rapid Manufacturing”, which is the use of additive fabrication (AF) processes to deliver end‐use parts and products directly from digital data, is increasingly gaining wider

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Abstract

Purpose

“Rapid Manufacturing”, which is the use of additive fabrication (AF) processes to deliver end‐use parts and products directly from digital data, is increasingly gaining wider acceptance. And, although the market for this will take years to develop fully, compelling examples of rapid manufacturing are already stimulating the development of the next generation of systems. The aim of this paper is to discuss the Custom‐Fit project whose aim is to keep Europe in the forefront of rapid manufacturing developments.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates the Custom‐Fit project.

Findings

The paper finds that this industry‐led project has been investigating, since 2004, the possibility of moving towards knowledge‐based manufacturing and customized production through integration of knowledge in rapid manufacturing, information technology and material science.

Originality/value

The paper provides useful information in one of Europe's forerunners in rapid manufacturing developments.

Details

Strategic Direction, vol. 24 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0258-0543

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Making Aid Agencies Work
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-509-2

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2011

Kate Pahl and Steve Pool

This article explores the processes and practices of doing participatory research with children. It explores how this process can be represented in writing. The article comes out…

Abstract

This article explores the processes and practices of doing participatory research with children. It explores how this process can be represented in writing. The article comes out of a project funded by Creative Partnerships UK, in which a creative agent, three artists and a researcher all worked within an elementary school in South Yorkshire, UK, for two years, to focus on the children’s Reasons to Write. It considers whether it is truly possible for children to enter the academic domain. Using a number of different voices, the article interrogates this. It particularly focuses on children’s role in analysing and selecting important bits of data. It engages with the lived realities of children as researchers. It considers ways in which children’s voices can be represented, and also acknowledges the limitations of this approach for adults who want to write academic peer reviewed articles. Ideas the adults thought were clever were found to be redundant in relation to children’s epistemologies. The article considers the process that is involved in taking children’s epistemologies seriously.

Details

Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1443-9883

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 September 2019

Samira Zare and Philip L. Pearce

This study systematically outlines a multifaceted approach to Persian culture using the anthropological acronym of KERP (kinship, economics, religion, and politics). Possible…

Abstract

This study systematically outlines a multifaceted approach to Persian culture using the anthropological acronym of KERP (kinship, economics, religion, and politics). Possible touch points between the tourist and both modern life in Iran and the historical world of Persian culture are identified. It is proposed that these touch points would be revealed through the knowledge emotions of surprise, confusion, and interest. The chapter examines the detailed accounts of experienced Iranian guides who reported on their tourists’ knowledge emotions about the visited culture. A comprehensive catalogue of the key incidents evoking these knowledge emotions is developed. The chapter further proposes a spectrum of cultural accessibility for Western tourists using this catalogue of emotional responses.

Details

Experiencing Persian Heritage
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78754-813-8

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Customer Experience Innovation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78754-786-5

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2013

Ashraf M. Salama, Fatma Khalfani and Ahood Al-Maimani

The current fast track urban development process is an important characteristic of the city of Doha. No exploration or examination of its urban spaces, however, has been done…

Abstract

The current fast track urban development process is an important characteristic of the city of Doha. No exploration or examination of its urban spaces, however, has been done before. This paper offers an experiential assessment of three key urban open spaces by examining their spatial and physical characteristics while implementing direct systematic observation and behavioural mapping procedure. Assessment results reveal important outcomes that include absence of physical aspects amenable for effective use while offering a pleasant experience for visitors. The findings contribute to an in-depth understanding of the qualities of the three spaces and the resulting use, activities, and behaviour representative of the inhabitants' spatial experience in those spaces. While the overall experience of users appear to be satisfactory, the results convey that there is an absence of landscape features and a dearth of green spaces and appropriate outdoor furniture, absence of adequate shaded areas and shading devices and a lack of children's facilities or specially designated areas for children. Addressing the lack of features that enhance people's activities and use of these spaces would contribute to making the spaces more conducive for use by different types of users and at different days and times.

Details

Open House International, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 23 November 2020

Mathew Tsamenyi and Nana Yaa A. Gyamfi

Students should be able to appreciate the exigencies of managing social enterprises in a largely profit-oriented economic domain; understand the interplay of choice and trade-offs…

Abstract

Learning outcomes

Students should be able to appreciate the exigencies of managing social enterprises in a largely profit-oriented economic domain; understand the interplay of choice and trade-offs in business management and be equipped to make optimal choices; and appraise new, creative and profit-making approaches for sustaining social enterprise.

Case overview/synopsis

Daniel Mensah and his team were to deliberate on options available for ensuring financial sustainability of HealthKeepers Network (HKN), a not-for-profit organization focused on community health and grassroots capacity development. As the economy of Ghana moved towards middle-income status, funding from global organizations had begun to decline. To ensure HKN’s continuity, Mensah needed to re-engineer HKN’s finances and consider options available for ensuring cash inflows to support the organization’s operations. Each of the available options involved specific setbacks or challenges for HKN to overcome to achieve financial sustainability. Mensah and his team were to engage in a brainstorming session analyse the available options and map the way forward for HKN.

Complexity academic level

This case is suitable for undergraduate and graduate-level programmes in business management.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Details

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Case Study
ISSN: 2045-0621

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Delivering Sustainable Transport
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-08-044022-4

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