Cycling jacket that detects motion

[pll]

Hello,

I just noticed this note on the BBC web site:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/te...00/7340963.stm

I hope it gets commercialized!

-pll

PS: I found a YouTube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=aWhcyLA-a_g

[KnottedYet]

Ooooh! I like it!

[salsabike]

THAT is cool.

[Trek420]

Ooooh, that is cool. I was explaining to a coworker why we had a dicey encounter. I'm riding to work, in the lane and she steps off the curb (jaywalking of course) towards me. We made eye contact, I thought she was waiting .... she didn't.

So I had to do a little whoop dee doo around her.

When I got inside and calmed down she said "don't pedestrians have the right of way?" "well yes you do but #1 I thought you were waiting and #2 I am IN traffic and I have no brake lights. Have you considered what happens to me if I stop?"

I think I saw a light go off over her head. Till this is available at my LBS I need a mirror

[mimitabby]

I hope they get marketed soon. I think i'd like two!
and one for each of my sons.. i guess that's 4, huh

[GuitarRiderGrrl]

What a great idea! This has ALL kinds of possibilities, and would be very simple to do (I'm an electrical engineer by education) .... Lots and lots of possibilities.

A simple accelerometer arrangement could be used on a bike tail light too.......
hmmmmm I'm thinking.......thinking..... thinking......

Cyn

[GLC1968]

Wow, that rocks! DH and I would totally buy one. I wonder if we should alert some of the companies that make cycling apparel that there is a market for this??

[GuitarRiderGrrl]

I'm going to start working on it
Its one of those "Duh!" things....... and its so simple!
I think that as far as a taillight goes, I should be able to put the accelerometer and the meager amount of electronics to support it, inside a standard blinkie housing - Could use bicolor LED's too, that would go from yellow, for normal riding (as long as you have a back red reflector, you meet the law for a rear red light - so what would happen is when you are either accelerating or coasting, your blinkie would be amber, and when you decelerate, it changes color to red... easy peasy.
whatcha think?
Cyn

Wow, that rocks! DH and I would totally buy one. I wonder if we should alert some of the companies that make cycling apparel that there is a market for this??

[sgtiger]

Sounds great, Cyn! Let me know when you have it worked out, okay? I'll take a couple of those.

[GuitarRiderGrrl]

Sounds great, Cyn! Let me know when you have it worked out, okay? I'll take a couple of those.

Yeah, I'm thinking this could save lives, and as more and more people dump their stinky car bubbles, the market should expand.
I did a quick patent search, and it looks like its in the clear, but, that was only a quick search. I found several mfgr's for accelerometers - the thing is that this doesn't require fancy linear output, or high accuracy - If it sensed a deceleration of say 1-2 G or more and then switched, that would be as accurate as it needs to be!! Nothing at all fancy - I want to use solid state so that its rugged. ~ If I come up with something, I could get the gals who might be interested to be "beta testers" on T.E. to help test them out with me. I have no idea yet what it would cost, but I don't think a whole lot.

Does the idea of using bi-color (amber that turns to red, when decelerating and stopping) LED's sound like it would alert drivers that the cyclist is stopping??

My wheels are definitely turning,
BTW, I didn't do the preliminary patent search cause I'm a money grubber, but rather to keep my fanny out of the jaws of the attorney's if it were to turn out to be a viable concept. ~ Wouldn't it be cool if we each put our expertise into projects that could make a difference? .....And maybe show the rest of the world, that even though their is a pack of loonies, brigands, thieves and maroons in Washington D.C., that Americans still have it (Particularly gals!)

Cyn

[pll]

Does the idea of using bi-color (amber that turns to red, when decelerating and stopping) LED's sound like it would alert drivers that the cyclist is stopping??

Cyn,

I think bi-color would be great (I think it is awesome you are thinking about this). I wonder if amber/red is noticeable enough in a small light for car drivers who are not really looking.

-pll