As the wheel of technology turns, so do the wheels of cyclists around the world. In 2009, over 51,000 bicyclists received injuries and 630 lost their lives in the US. There are a number of activist groups who work to reduce, as well as prevent bicycle related injuries. An innovative group of industrial design students began Project Aura, a system of safety lights to take their recognition of cyclist safety to the midnight streets.
 
Traditionally, cyclist are required to have solid illumination in the front of their bike along with a blinking lamp in the rear when riding at night. While this will allow drivers to recognize a rider when directly behind or infront of them, there are often situations, such as at intersections, that a driver is blind to a cyclist on the road. The solution Project Aura is offering are an array of small LED lights mounted into the wheel well of each wheel.
Powering the LED lights is a bicycle dynamo system attached to the front wheel, so the LED lights receive dynamic energy. This means the LEDs will not even require a battery to operate, and phase from red when slowing down to white when at cruising speeds.
 
To promote Project Aura, a Vimeo channel has been circulating demonstrating the lights in use. The video has received almost 300,000 views as well as a grant for development from Carnegie Mellon. This kind of interest and traffic represents the innovation and application that Seesmart embraces in the industry. As LED lights continue to become even more main stream and cost effective, we expect to see a greater amount of practicle and efficient use that replaces the use of traditional lighting solutions.
 
Support Project Aura by watching their video below, and taking a visit to their Tumblr blog.

Project Aura: Bicycle Safety Lighting System from Project AURA on Vimeo.