Bicycles

Lumenus smart jacket signals a change of direction for cyclists

Lumenus smart jacket signals a change of direction for cyclists
The Lumenus smart jacket is embedded with LEDs that display the cyclist's turning intentions to other road users
The Lumenus smart jacket is embedded with LEDs that display the cyclist's turning intentions to other road users
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The Lumenus smart jacket is embedded with LEDs that display the cyclist's turning intentions to other road users
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The Lumenus smart jacket is embedded with LEDs that display the cyclist's turning intentions to other road users
When a cyclist's smartphone detects deceleration, the jacket's LEDs will light up to indicate braking
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When a cyclist's smartphone detects deceleration, the jacket's LEDs will light up to indicate braking
LEDs in the jacket's cuffs tell the wearer where to turn
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LEDs in the jacket's cuffs tell the wearer where to turn
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Visibility is a crucial part of cyclist safety, but it's also important that their turning intentions are relayed to other road users. Hand signals were the only option in this area for a long time, but in recent years we've seen technology, such as the Zackees cycling gloves, designed to improve the visibility of turn signals at night. The Lumenus jacket on display at Interbike takes a similar approach, but goes a step further by letting cyclists be guided by the light.

Unlikethe Zackees turn signal gloves, whose embedded LEDs need to be manually activated via a switch between the thumb and index finger, the embedded strips of LEDs in the Lumenus jacket are all activated automatically. This is made possible by pairing the jacket with a rider's smartphone viaBluetooth, which allows a companion app to track the rider's location via GPS.

LEDs in the jacket's cuffs tell the wearer where to turn
LEDs in the jacket's cuffs tell the wearer where to turn

When the cyclist approaches a turn on their preselected route, LEDs in the left or right cuffs will flash to indicate to the cyclist where and in which direction they should turn, while LEDs on the front and back of the jacket will relay these turning intentions to following motorists. Additionally, when the phone's accelerometer detects sudden deceleration, the LEDs will light up to indicate braking. The jacket is waterproof and washable, and its battery should keep the signals coming for up to 30 hours per charge.

In addition to the jacket, Los Angeles-based Lumenus has a range of smart clothing and wearables planned, including vests, shirts, leggings, backpacks, armbands and wristbands. It is looking to get things rolling through a Kickstarter campaign that is set to start in mid-October, with prices expected to range from US$100 to $499 depending on the item.

Source: Lumenus

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3 comments
3 comments
Purple-Stater
Gotta love the irony of talking about how visibility is so crucial, but the item of clothing is in black, the least visible color available.
JoshuaPutnam
I don't believe lighted turn signals for bicycles are legally recognized in any US state.

The jacket appears in the photos to use green and blue LEDs for signals -- those are lighting colors reserved for emergency services vehicles in most US states.

The lights would be too close to the center line of a bicycle to be reliably identified by other road users as being left or right of center.

So, illegal equipment that doesn't satisfy the legal or practical requirements for signaling a turn.

Hope the company is well insured.
Tom Benson
I can't see wearing the same jacket in all riding conditions, however a "brake light" tied to an accelerometer that detects sudden deceleration is a great idea that should be pursued.