Bike Tag is a system of led lights, proximity sensors and a Smartphone application. Created during The Playable City Sprint by artists Jayoung Bang, Yunjun Lee, Tine Bech and Julian Sykes, it’s “an urban platform that gives cyclists a voice in their city.”

How it works: Participants kit out their bikes and choose one of three colours for their lights, yellow, red or blue. As they cycle around the city, their route (tracked via GPS) is recorded live to an online map in their chosen colour. When they come close to another Bike Tag rider, the lights on both bikes temporarily turn green to signify an encounter. Encounters are also mapped and over time, areas of the city where people meet and popular routes emerge. The system also allows for street games to be imagined and implemented. Riders score points for encounters and colour battles can spread through the city.

Made in just a few days, the prototype captured the imagination of all who encountered it and now Julian and Tine are developing Bike Tag to a fully operational system to be premiered in Bristol in the Spring. In this talk they will talk us through their plans and ideas, and sharing the technical and creative challenges that they face.

This Lunchtime Talk is part of Open Studio Friday, which takes place at the Studio every week.

Do you want to find out what is going on at the Pervasive Media Studio? Are you interested in meeting our residents, talking about a specific project or curious about pervasive media? Why not pack a sandwich and join us for one of our Lunchtime Talks and Open Studio Friday.

Lunchtime Talks are informal presentations by Studio residents and associates. They normally take place at 1pm on Friday, are free and open to everybody who’s interested in what we do.

After the Talk, we also invite you to stay with us for the afternoon to continue the conversation or work on your own projects. We provide chairs, tables, wireless and a great space. You bring what you need to work with (laptop/mobile). Our open afternoons close at 5pm.

Let us know if you’d like a tour of the space and we'll be happy to show you around. Send an email to admin@pmstudio.co.uk