[leadin]You ride a bike in traffic with cars that have brake lights. Why don’t you?[/leadin]
Well, now you can. The Lumos is a new concept that puts lighting — both brake lights and turn signals — on the back of your head. It also has a white headlight for visibility.
Made with 80 embedded LEDs, the helmet displays simple rear and front facing red and white lighting when you are cycling. When you hit the brakes, an accelerometer in the helmet reacts by turning on the brake light.
To activate the turn signal, you simply push a small button mounted on the handlebars to compliment your hand gestures.
Helmet In Traffic
Before making the turn, you push one of the two buttons indicating direction, and a yellow dash on the helmet signals your intention.
The helmet beeps to let you know it’s on, something you’ll appreciate if you’ve ever found yourself driving a motorcycle with the turn signal on long after a turn.
Push the button again to turn it off.
Kickstarter Success
The helmet has caught on with riders, raising $475,000 so far on Kickstarter, where the hemet sell for $100 (early bird special) to $120.
While it won’t entirely fix the problem of rider visibility on its own, it is another tool to help bikers be seen and coexist safely with cars.
That’s something we can support. If you’re looking for a bike helmet for commuting or night riding, it’s worth checking out.
