Automatic Wheelie Safety Brake

If you’ve learned how to do a wheelie on a bicycle, you’ve most likely ended up on your back more than once during the process. If there was just some way for your bike to automatically hit the brakes when you’re about to tip over…

As seen in the video below, YouTuber Tom Stanton decided to do just that, using an inertial measurement unit to detect the bike’s angle, and an Arduino Nano to control the braking system. If the bike’s angle gets too high, a servo is programmed to pull the rear brakes via an adjustable cable, forcing the front wheel down rather than Stanton winding up on his back.

As tested, the device does work, pulling proportionally between a lower and upper angle so that the brakes don’t engage all at once. Stanton is using it with an e-bike, so in theory he should be able to hook up the electric motor to hold him in place until the batteries run out. However, he’s not yet completely comfortable programming something that could run away at top speed with him on it. Probably a wise decision, though it will be interesting to see how this project develops!