Velosonics
Sonic Research / Pilot Project
Collaboration with MoveByBike Italy
Funders: CreativeFLIP, European Commission
Web application and digital tool / 2025
In June, 2025, we embarked on a weeklong trip to Verona, Italy funded by the CreativeFLIP project, with support from the European Commission. The goal was to follow MoveByBike Italy’s operations and find a way in which sound design can offer a solution to a challenge that they face: delivery bikes breaking down. As a company that offers inner-city delivery, often in places inaccessible to automobile, it is common that they transport loads of up to 200 kilograms, often on bumpy cobblestone and high-impact terrain. While traditional cargo-bikes have been around for a long time, the hybrid bikes that they use, for the purposes that they serve, are quite a recent innovation within a fresh industry.
We wanted to see if it were possible to build an acoustic monitoring system that leverages Machine Learning (using Google’s free ML-model builder Teachable Machine) so that it would be possible for MoveByBike to be able to acoustically monitor changes in their bike, so that they could anticipate and act upon any repairs or maintenance before a large repair that costs time and money occurs.¨
Through this pilot project, we achieved a custom-built acoustic monitoring system for their cargobikes consisting of piezo-disc/contact microphones and a simple audio recorder. By leveraging advances in Machine Learning, we were able to furthermore develop a digital tool that categorises audio and visualises relevant data based on the captured sonic feedback.
We have now also completed a step-by-step methodology for others to build their own ML Acoustic Monitoring System for their own needs. Intersted in finding out more?