Safe Cruising at Night
The Speednite project is aimed at the creation of a single smart network with several devices, that will replace most of bike electronics for the ultimate rider's safety on the road. Currently, the list of equipment contains a bike stem, a head motion sensor, a wireless remote and rear lights.
The stem is filled with electronics and features a tiltable headlight with an option to configure controls either via a head motion, a smartphone or a handy remote control, that comes in the set and strapped to a handlebar.
By synching a headlight with the head motion sensor, the Speednite’s light will follow rider’s viewing directions, effectively illuminating more objects in its sight with the 800 lumen bright LED lamp. Thus, rather than having a beam of light, constricted to a single point in front of a bike, the Speednite will increase the visibility of both a path and objects in front of a rider.
Your Own Lane
That’s not all. The Speednite stem mount can also work as a tail light by throwing laser lines on the ground on either side of a bike. It can also be controlled by either a head motion or via a remote control. By turning your head to the left or the right, the laser line will start flashing, indicating that you are about to make a turn. So, you won’t have to take your hand off a handrail and wave it around to do the same. Besides, the Speednite package will also include smart rear lights, mounted under a bike seat. The rear lights will feature automatic brake signal and left-right turn, synchronized with laser indicators.
Smarter, Faster, Safer
The stem also serves as a cycling computer that can track and display your speed, distance, cadence, and heart rate, owing to the numerous sensors. Additionally, it boasts a GPS module and can record your route and other data for uploading and checking them later on PC or smartphone.
Furthermore, the head sensor, attached to the helmet, can detect abnormal hits. In case of an accident, it will trigger an SOS signal light and send a notification from your adjacent smartphone to the pre-set contact for the emergency.
Design and Technology
The Speednite is going to be water-resistant so that you could use it in any weather. The headlight has 2 holes for attaching it to a handlebar and a fork. It will also offer a couple of brightness options and flashing modes for better visibility on the road. The stem module is powered by 1800 mAh battery, that can be detached for recharge. At the same time, the wireless control and the head sensor will feature built-in batteries with Micro USB ports for recharge and approximately 24 hours of continuous work as well.
Despite the fact that the Kickstarter campaign is still ongoing, the authors have already displayed a functional prototype at CES 2017 in Vegas. As the general design and features have already been established, all that’s left is to give general tests and provide safety validations.
Compatibility and Pricing
There are few concerns that we can't ignore. The key one is that the current main module is designed to serve as a conjunction between a fork and a handlebar. Therefore, it has to be sturdy and reliable. Yet, it’s compatible with only 28.6 mm forks and 31.8 mm handlebars at this stage.
In the future, it’d be great to see the compatibility expanded to other fork and handlebar sizes or even some kind of a universal attachment for a handlebar only. A bigger computer screen would be welcomed too. The expected retail price is around $300. However, the larger display would also lead to the increased production costs, which might not be met with approval by potential buyers in the future.
Finally, some cyclists may already own the Garmin or another GPS computer. Hence, these people might want a less expensive option with a tiltable lighting and head sensor only.
Contingency Planning
Regardless of the small nuisance, the whole idea of getting almost every possible smart equipment for your bike inside a single box and for the very reasonable price is just incredible. It’s also worth mentioning, that even if the current pledge goals wouldn’t be met by the end of campaign, there are many companies from all over the world, that have already shown interest in the concept and may be ready to fund the project, so that each and every backer would still have a chance to receive its Speednite.
