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A Bike Taillight that Goes Beyond Mere Taillighting (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the a-bike-light-that-plays-pong-on-your-back dept.

Meet David. Tim Lord ran into him at the 2014 Maker Faire Bay Area. He didn't have a display, and he wasn't obviously trying to sell anything or promote a Kickstarter campaign. He was just walking around with a panel full of LEDs that he wears as a backpack while riding his bike, which beats the heck out of regular bike taillights, even the blinky flashy ones a lot of us have these days. So good on you, David. This is your three minutes of Slashdot fame -- and please note, people, that you can now fast-forward through any preroll ads longer than 30 seconds, so you won't get bombed with multi-minute ads to watch a three minute Slashdot video. (Alternate video link)

16 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Great job David! by xmas2003 · · Score: 2

    As a fan of lights myself, that's pretty darn awesome - great job David.

    Bummer the video didn't have any product demonstrations in low light while on a bike ...

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  2. seems bulky by epyT-R · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seems a bit big and bulky for a bicycle rider, where every ounce counts.

    1. Re:seems bulky by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Seems a bit big and bulky for a bicycle racer, where every ounce counts.

      Fixed that for you. For us non-racers, a few extra pounds isn't a big deal, especially when you're already carrying a backpack with a laptop or books or groceries or whatever.

    2. Re:seems bulky by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Define "Long Distance"?

      Heck, I always have a backpack on when I ride. It has spare tubes, tools, extra water, phone, etc. When I bike to work, it also has a soda, office keys, and some clothes for when I get to work.

      The ride to work is 15 miles. I wouldn't call that "long distance." But I've done 60 mile rides with the backpack and no problems. I'm doing a 100 mile ride in a few weeks and I'll definitely have the backpack.

      C'mon--toughen up! :^D

    3. Re:seems bulky by mellon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do people actually ride bicycles long distances with a backpacks on? Haven't y'all heard of panniers?

    4. Re:seems bulky by Charliemopps · · Score: 2

      Seems a bit big and bulky for a bicycle rider, where every ounce counts.

      It's a prototype. That design lends itself to mas production. You could have that produced as a 1/4" thick flexible mat that weighed less than a few ounces and could be priced under $10. It would be pretty easy actually.

  3. Drunk drivers by fizzer06 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They are attracted to flashing lights and will home in on this like a June bug to a porch light. Having said that, it looked very well done.

    1. Re:Drunk drivers by NoKaOi · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not just drunk drivers. Any driver can be easily distracted. A driver who is distracted from other things going on around them is also very dangerous to you, even if you're the source of their distraction. The goal should be maximum visibility without distraction, not maximum visibility caused by maximum distraction. Pong, smiley faces, and the occasional word? Yeah, that's meant to be distracting.

  4. Road Legal? by frootcakeuk · · Score: 2

    I'm pretty sure the legality of this in use on the road using animations or any colour other than red is questionable at best.

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  5. That's the 1980's tech version. by pecosdave · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You could get an old laptop display, or even a tablet, be it Android or iProduct and beat this thing in every way. But you can't see a tablet well in the sunlight? I think it's obvious from this video you can't see that thing in the daylight either.

    I'm not knocking the guys ability or talents, but he invented the light display AFTER the Jumbotron came out.

    I'm a cyclist, I think things like Monkey lights are incredibly awesome, I think the new inner rim lights are great, but this isn't on point.

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    1. Re:That's the 1980's tech version. by NoKaOi · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Okay... but you don't really need lights in the day... you have the sun.

      I disagree. A blinking red taillight that is visible in the daytime does help cars notice you (without distracting them like this thing would). In the daytime there's not so much the issue of not being seen by the driver's eyes, but there is of being noticed by their brain.

  6. Looks pointless to me by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 2

    What problem is this solving?

    which beats the heck out of regular bike taillights

    It "beats the heck" out of them? Well, thanks for that devastatingly insightful exposé of the limitations of existing bike lights.

    "Instead of having a blinking red light, which is very boring..."

    Heaven forfend that my blinking red light should bore a driver.

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    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  7. alternate idea by slashmydots · · Score: 2

    "and please note, people, that you can now fast-forward through any preroll ads longer than 30 seconds"
    Or, and this may just be a popular opinion with some users, you can shove that video up your ass and I won't watch it at all because fuck you, you money-grubbing assholes. Oh and thanks for the bottom screen ad blocking everything. That's a nice improvement to slashdot too.

  8. I stopped reading at "Faire" by uCallHimDrJ0NES · · Score: 2

    Aye, verily, the olde-fashioned stylings of words offendeth me, so I cutteth them out.

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    Cloudiot: A person who does not see offsite storage as a way to lose control over access to his or her own data.
  9. Smaller, lighter by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Build it into the flexible backpack, instead of a hard flat panel. Oh wait, now I have to have that particular backpack all the time, instead of something attached to he bike.
    I get it...more lights are not a bad thing. But I'm not going to ride around being a billboard. I just want people to see me and not hit me.

  10. Re:Already got something better... by mellon · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have something better too. It's called an imperial walker. STOMP