Signal: More Safety Lights On Motorcycle Helmets |
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File under Ideas Safety
Author: Mike Werner
Location: Normandy, France
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Suddenly several people got the idea that lights on a motorcycle helmet is a good idea, and it is. Riding a motorcycle in dense traffic can be dangerous, since our "surface" is small, and the lights on our rides are even smaller. Stop lights and indicators are really small, particularly on a sportsbike. So when you do hit the brake, or decide to turn, cars behind you may not have seen your lights.
Signal  is one of the several new products that tries to address this issue (see related below for more). Instead of using standard LED lights, these guys use Lumigram , a new fiber-optic fabric (again, see related article below for another application of Lumigram).
The strong lights are mounted on your helmet by using elastic cords, minimizing the installation process. No helmet changes required, nor the use of glue. Just wrap it around your helmet. This means that if you have different helmets, you can easily change helmet depending on your mood (or maybe your riding attire).
The lights themselves are sync'd with your brake and indicator lights by means of a RFIDRadio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.
Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal.
There are generally three types of RFID tags: active RFID tags, which contain a battery and can transmit signals autonomously, passive RFID tags, which have no battery and require an external source to provoke signal transmission and battery assisted passive (BAP) which require an external source to wake up but have significant higher forward link capability providing great read range.
Today, RFID is used in enterprise supply chain management to improve the efficiency of inventory tracking and management. transmitter. RFID transmitters emit a radio frequency at a very low force, so no worries about frying your body with microwave. The transmitter is installed without much fuss (though it remains to be seen if I could do it).
The Signal project, since it's only an advanced project at this moment, is currently hosted at the Quirky site. They have a few questions to ask you before they continue. So head on over to their site, and answer 4 questions... The only problem is that you'll need to register before you answer..
Quirky
| Read related articles | Saturday, July 28th, 2012 - Be Seen, Really Seen, On A Motorcycle
Sometimes you just can't be careful enough when riding your motorcycle, especially at night. We're small in size, compared to trucks and cars, and with only one light in front and back, we can easily be run over by cagers who just don't pay attention.
BikeLink hopes to remedy this situation. Through Fundable, a web site like KickStart that allows people to invest in ideas without taking an equity stake, BikeLink wants to turn their safety product into a sellable product.
BikeLink is a battery operated collar you place behind your motorcycle helmet. At night time, turn on the BikeLink, and several bright LED lights will start shining......
.....Click on the headline to continue reading this story....... | Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 - To Satisfy Even The Most Strict Motorcycle Visibility Rules
France is not the only country in the world that is demanding that their motorcycle riders wear high visibility (Hi-Viz) clothing. More and more countries want their bikers to be visible on the road when they ride their motorcycles. Whether this is good or bad is another debate.
LumiGram, a company specialized in making all sorts of objects that glow in the dark (from tables to dresses), now have this glowing safety vest. It's battery operated, and it will make sure you are seen, day or night. In fact, I'd say that it might provoke an adverse reaction of cagers, that of target fixation.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story....... | Sunday, May 13th, 2012 - So You Really Want To Be Seen On Your Motorcycle?
It's a wonder that the French government has not (yet) decided to make this product mandatory for all motorcycle riders, the same way they are making hi-viz clothing mandatory.
But there are a lot of bikers out there who want to be sure they are seen, particularly at night, so this product may be of use to them. The product, called "Fibre Flare MVP" (MVP stands for Maximum Visibility Protection) is a battery powered fibre tube that is fixed to the rear of your helmet. You can mount it horizontal or vertically.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story....... | Sunday, July 17th, 2011 - Hatari Helmets - Poetry In Motion
Hatari helmets are motorcycle helmets with a twist, literally....
The back of the helmet is decorated with moving & twisting graphics, and apart from abstract art, can be something like a butterfly flying around your motorcycle.
The have released a helmet that shows your brake lights and indicators. |
Via: Engadget
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