One of the issues that put off a lot of people from cycling is the stress involved. Stress is a natural reaction to danger, and helps us to become more aware, but it is uncomfortable, especially in life today, and too much can cause health problems.
However, not exercising can also cause major health problems, and our reliance on motor vehicles lends itself to people becoming overweight, and obese, leading to conditions like type 2 diabetes.
So the best alternative would be to be able to cycle, stress free.
The exercise gained would help to look after the body, and exercise has also been proven to help reduce stress.
One group of researchers have been gathering data to see whether they can make this hypothetical stress free cycling a reality.
By outfitting cyclists with Google’s (fairly controversial) Google Glass head gear and sending them out on a bike ride through the city, the researchers from Edinburgh University collected both video footage of the journey, and a commentary from the cyclists about what they were thinking as they traversed Inverleith.
In addition, the cyclists had their brain patterns measured using a electroencephalography, in order to give a more objective look at how their stress levels changed during the ride.
Kim Taylor, 21, working on the study, said, “We are investigating people’s feelings of confidence and safety while cycling, because we have found that this plays an important role in whether people choose to cycle.
“We want to make what we have learned accessible to help people.”
They hope that they will be able to used the data they have collected to create an application to aid cyclists and warn them of road danger.
The project has been supported by Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership which is pushing for more cycling to take p[lace in the area and cut down on traffic.
Should an app be developed, it could possibly expand, collect more data and spread out to cover the entire country, especially as wearable technology is becoming more and more common.
This could help to improve overall health and reduce stress levels in the population by promoting safer exercise.
