ROMA – A small device that could save the lives of many cyclists and more. It’s called Tocsen and it’s the result of a German start-up founded by three young bicycle enthusiasts who made this device following a trivial accident that happened to a friend of theirs and which could have cost him his life. Tom is a guy who loves mountain biking and one day decides to go out for a ride along a path in the woods that he knows well for having already done it many times so he faces it with confidence. But in a moment, due to an oversight, perhaps a root, he falls to the ground, hits his head and loses consciousness while wearing a helmet. Upon awakening, the boy does not know where he is, does not remember anything, cannot call for help, faints again several times. By pure chance, some passersby find him and help him and fortunately for Tom today the episode is just a bad memory. But what if no one found him? What if the rescue arrived late? In short, stories like this, which unfortunately ended badly, occur all over the world and precisely to prevent them from having a tragic ending, the idea of this simple but effective device was born.
So the three biker friends of Tom, Alexander Schumacher, engineer specialized in automotive, Andreas Botsch, graduate in economics and Malte Buttjer, with many years of experience in the field of digital media, have created the device. “We were very clear what kind of emergency system to implement – explains Alexander Schumacher – it had to be 100% reliable, easy to use and above all it had to not interfere with the pleasure of cycling”. Tocsen combines a small precision detector and a smartphone app (available for Android and iOs). As soon as the sensor detects a bump, the app asks the user how he is and if there is no reaction within 30 seconds Tocsen automatically sends a request for help, which includes the exact GPS position, both to personal emergency contacts and to community members nearby. The community is made up of all those who have a Tocsen sensor on their helmet and those who have downloaded the app and made themselves available to the community in case of need. The small and light detector is now also available in Italy (it can be purchased online), with an app in Italian, both in the variant for external application on any helmet, and integrated in some Alpina and Uvex models already on sale. (maurilio rigo)
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