Machine-to-machine (M2M) technology is being married with one of the world’s oldest vehicles, through a collaboration between KEYMILE and DB Kommunikationstechnik in Germany.
The pair has fitted M2M modules to bicycles to boost the efficiency of a rental service offered by Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Rent. The battery-powered on-board units enable customers to locate push bikes via Deutsche Telekom’s mobile network or the Web, allowing DB Rent to provide a fully automated system via a dedicated smartphone app.
DB Kommunikationstechnik spokesman Ralf Wulftange says the collaboration has boosted the whole process of the firm’s Call a Bike service, making “the processes involved in localizing the bikes more efficient,” and enhancing its “communication with the customers.”