Bike Sense project creates music on Big Four Bridge

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A public art project is using sensors to create sound and collect environmental data across Louisville.

The Bike Sense project includes 100 volunteer cyclists. Each cyclist has a sensor that is placed in the water-bottle holder on their bicycle. That sensor will collect data on the city's air quality and temperature as volunteers ride. That data is then translated into sound and streamed in real-time on the Big Four Bridge and online.

Todd Smith, a local artist, is behind the project.

"I devised this project to have volunteer cyclists track data that I could ultimately give back to the city and say, 'Here's some more information. Here's some health impacts. Here's some actual places that people are going, and hopefully it will improve,'" Smith said.

The project hopes to promote healthy lifestyle habits and provide new data on air quality. Around 30 cyclists will specifically collect data in the west end.

Cyclists can also push an emergency button on the sensor if they have problems with traffic or safety. That information will be collected to help improve bike paths.