Two-wheeler riders can now probably look forward to that perfect triangle of comfort where the seat and the handlebar are in sync, making back pain a thing of the past, thanks to an invention of a mechanical engineer from Thrikkakara in Kerala.
Hissam E.K., an employee with a major automobile dealer in Kochi, has been awarded patent for an adjustable handlebar – Electronic Variable Rise Bar (EVRB) – by the Union government’s Patent Office for a period of 20 years with effect from April 2018. It can be installed on any two-wheeler between the handle and the fork and the rider can adjust the handle through a two-way switch to find that perfect seating angle while riding.
“While cars have tiltable steering wheels and adjustable seats for drivers, two-wheeler riders who cannot afford a car have no such supporting systems to fall back on. That is perhaps why not all two-wheelers are fit for everyone and many complain of back pain because of the one-size-fits-all alignment between the seat and the handlebar,” explains Mr. Hissam.
The product combines a motor, a spherical gear and a moveable rack that lifts and lowers the handlebar through a the switch. When the switch is pressed, the motor powers the gear, which in turn moves the rack. While spacers are available for adjusting the handlebar according to the height of the rider, it is fixed and may not be suitable for another rider.
The device can be operated both when the vehicle is static or in cruise mode. The rider can find that perfect riding angle using the switch while riding. Once the height is set, it remains fixed till the rider changes it.
Voice commands
“It can be particularly useful to women riders many of whom sit on the tip of the seat to reach the handle, thus disrupting the centre of gravity and leaving them vulnerable to falls while braking. The mechanical operation can be replaced with voice commands as well which will prove beneficial to the differently-abled,” says Mr. Hissam.
While it took Mr. Hissam a year to develop the technology and the prototype, obtaining the patent turned out to be an even bigger hurdle as he had to give 36 detailed explanations to prove the authenticity of the technology. The COVID-19 pandemic in between did not help either. Though it cost him ₹5,000, he feels that commercial production may bring down the cost even further.
Though a Hyderabad-based company had approached him for product trial, he had to turn it down since the patent process was under way at the time. Since then, he had successfully trialled the product in his own motorcycle.
