How is Ziemi invented?

How is Ziemi invented?

For my master's degree, I was commissioned to design a solution for an E-bike producer with food delivery staff in Los Angeles as a target group. They often cycle in haste and in the dark. In L.A., you don't really have bicycle paths, which causes a lot of accidents. I thought cyclists, like artists on stage, should be in the spotlight. Thus the idea for Ziemi arose, derived from "See-me.".

The concept of Biomotion isn’t entirely new in the cycling industry. Reflectors on pedals, in spokes, and reflective clothing have been around for a while. But to be visible, you need a light source. And by the time a car’s headlights catch you, the driver’s reaction time is already limited. Ziemi makes you visible earlier because you light yourself up.

Soon I noticed that in the Netherlands too there was a demand for a safer traffic environment. Due to poor or missing lighting the number of road deaths on the bike increased to a record height, so I decided to bring Ziemi to the Dutch market. We have optimised the business plan and the go-to-market strategy at YES!Delft and Ziemi is officially patented by Arnold & Siedsma.

To launch Ziemi, we started a crowdfunding campaign in 2020. This prevented a bank loan and immediately showed if there was any enthusiasm for our idea. Within a month we sold the first 500 prototypes and raised €36,000. In the debut year we sold 2000 pieces.

Traffic psychologist Gerard Tertoolen thinks the idea behind Ziemi is strong. "You are clearly visible and see a man instead of a small light. That's nice for drivers," he explains. "It essentially has an advantage at close range, because then you see what the other person will do. A cyclist can make unexpected movements and you can see that through such a light faster."