As bike commuting continues to gain popularity, negative car/bicycle interactions will keep trending up. Anything you can do to stack the odds in your favor is a positive thing. To that end, check out this Kickstarter campaign from UNIT 1. The AURA is an integrated system that combines three pieces of hardware — a helmet, bike lights, and a turn signal remote — with a companion app.
Yes, it’s 2023, and it seems like everything, including your refrigerator, has a companion app now. But in this case, the technical wizardry just might make sense.
Let’s start with the AURA Helmet. It’s everything you’d expect from a medium-to-high-end lid: a magnetic clip on the chin strap, MIPS technology, interchangeable magnetic visors, and 16 vents.
But the special sauce is in the integrated lights and the crash-detection system. If you hit the pavement, the companion app will ask if you’re OK. If you don’t respond within a set time frame, it will automatically send a location-enabled SOS message to a predetermined number of your choice. The helmet comes in three sizes, four neutral colors, and weighs 370 g.
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