LED smart jacket automatically signals directional change for bicyclists

Remaining visible to cars on the road has always been an issue for nighttime cyclists, leaving hand signals as the only means of communicating; until now. Introducing: Lumenus’ LED smart jacket, a jacket that relays bicyclist’s turning intentions to other users on the road using flashing LED.

Unlike the solutions we’ve seen in recent years, such as the Zackees cycling gloves, LED gloves designed to improve visibility of turn signals by cyclists at night, this new LED smart jacket goes a step further.

Where the gloves’ LED lights have to be manually activated through a switch between the thumb and index finger, the Lumenus jacket’s LEDs automatically activate via a Bluetooth pairing with the rider’s smartphone, relaying information through a companion app that tracks the rider’s location by GPS.

When a cyclist approaches a turn on his or her preselected route, the LED lights on the cuffs will flash in the direction to turn, while the LEDs in the front and back will send this communicative message to other motorists. The phone’s accelerometer will detect any sudden deceleration, and the LEDs will light up to indicate breaking. The jacket holds a charge up to 30 hours, is waterproof and washable, and may be the revolution behind night riding.

In addition to the LED jacket, Lumenus is investing in a range of smart clothing, including vests, shirts, leggings, backpacks, armbands and wristbands. The company is funding the products through a Kickstarter campaign set to begin in mid-October of 2015, with prices ranging from $100 to $499, depending on the item.

Via Gizmag