Tag: light

  • LIVALL Bling Smart Helmet

    LIVALL Bling Smart Helmet

      A few weeks ago, I mentioned a couple of interesting helmet designs that recently caught my attention.  Both of those helmets, the Closca Fuga and the Lumos helmet, include technology based features, but the latest helmet from Chinese company Livall takes the idea of a high tech “smart” helmet to a whole new level.…

  • A couple of interesting new helmet designs

    A couple of interesting new helmet designs

      Folding helmets have been around for a while, but most of the ones that I have seen fold or compress laterally. The Closca Fuga is different though. It compresses from the top down, reducing its volume by more than 50% for easy storage in a purse, bag or backpack. The clean aesthetics are nice…

  • Helios LED bars and a roll-up mudguard

    Helios LED bars and a roll-up mudguard

    After a public debut at the Bay Area Maker Faire over the weekend, the smartphone controlled LED Helios handlebars are getting a lot of attention on the web (well deserved attention, I believe).  The tagline on the website is, “transform any bike into a smart bike with Helios Bars.” That is a pretty big statement,…

  • Velomobiles from Piximatic and GeoSpace

    Velomobiles from Piximatic and GeoSpace

    It has been several years since I mentioned Christophe Sarrazin’s velomobile designs.  Since that 2009 post though, his website has evolved quite a bit. The site is more than just a source for news about velomobile design. To encourage others to get involved with velomobile construction projects, Christophe offers free downloads of many of his…

  • A partial catch-up post

    A partial catch-up post

    I have been especially busy with work since my recent trip, so I haven’t been able to keep up with the blog. I have seen some interesting things to share lately though, so I will quickly pass along a few of them today. I don’t know what it is about bike lights and Kickstarter, but…

  • Anti-theft bike lights

    Anti-theft bike lights

    The  Blink/Steady bike light is Brooklyn-based designer Benjamin Cohen’s solution to the problem of bike light theft. The light is machined from solid aluminum and is secured to the seat post by a set screw inside the unit, making it difficult to steal. There are no buttons, and it uses an accelerometer to turn on…

  • A well-lit helmet and a trail of chalk

    A well-lit helmet and a trail of chalk

    I first noticed the Lazer Urbanize helmet, with integrated front and rear lights, at Interbike 2009, and it was one of the products that I really liked at the show.  For commuting and urban riding, I definitely think the idea of a helmet that not only illuminates the road ahead, but makes the wearer’s head…

  • Catching up with links

    Catching up with links

    If you have seen the carbon/titanium Exogrid frames from Holland Cycles, you already know that they are works of art. Filmaker and photographer Jeff Katz recently documented the Holland Cycles framebuilding process starting with selection of the tubes and ending with a ride on the complete bike. The laser cutting of the titanium outer tube…

  • Project Aura wheel lighting system

    Project Aura wheel lighting system

    According to the Core 77 blog, “Project Aura is a bicycle lighting system designed to address the issue of nighttime urban bike commuting.” The design, by Ethan Frier and Jonathan Ota of Carnegie Mellon University, was recently chosen as the student winner in the Transportation category of this year’s Core77 Design Awards. You can read…

  • LED tires, smart bikes, and a competition

    LED tires, smart bikes, and a competition

    I am getting ready for another busy day of work in China, but before I head down to breakfast I want to quickly pass along a few of the links that have been accumulating in my inbox. A few readers alerted me to Cyglo tires (pictured here) which have LED lights embedded in the tread…

  • FlashBak

    FlashBak

    For the last couple months, I have been trying out a product called FlashBak. As you can see in the pictures, the FlashBak is a rectangle made from heavy-duty nylon strap with 10 embedded flashing LEDs. Four clips on the corners with elastic cords hold the unit in place and the 3 AAA batteries are…

  • Spooklight and a few other links

    The Spooklight (pictured here) is a wireless turn indicator and brake light for bicycles. Using technology similar to the iPhone’s accelerometer, it automatically senses when the bike is slowing down and displays the brake lights. The turning signal function is operated manually via a touch sensitive pad that mounts to the bars. The Spooklight charges…

  • Pulse urban concept bike from Teague

    Before I take off, I want to quickly point you to the Pulse urban bike concept by the designers at Teague. Like the Prelude concept bike that I posted not long ago, this design features a luminescent frame. “Dana Krieger, Industrial designer at Teague presents a tribute to the triangle. A reinterpretation of an icon,…

  • The LightLane concept is moving forward

    You may remember about 6 months ago when I posted the LightLane concept, which was designed by two Altitude employees, Evan Gant and Alex Tee. Their concept, which involved simulating a bike lane with lasers mounted near the seat, was originally conceived as an entry for the Bicycle Design “commuter bike for the masses” design…

  • Prelude: a bicycle for the non-enthusiast

    Jason Bushby, a transportation design student at Northumbria University in the UK, recently designed “a bicycle for the non-enthusiast” as his final project. As you can see from the image shown here, he built a working model/ prototype of his design, which he calls the Prelude. Jason had contacted me some time ago to tell…

  • LightLane

    Recently, a couple of readers emailed me to mention the LightLane concept by Alex Tee and Evan Gant. The concept has been posted recently on various design and tech blogs including Core77, DVICE, and Yanko Design to name a few. I always appreciate reader tips, but actually, I had already seen this one. The LightLane…