In yesterday’s post on the LucidBRAKE wireless brake light, one of the team members behind the Velodroom bike light saw it and sent us a bit of information on their design. Similar in concept, the Velodroom will be launched in a Kickstarter project from a team of Estonians with the light currently in the final prototype phase. Like the Lucid the Velodroom has no on/off switch and uses a built in accelerometer to detect when it is moving and also to detect when the rider is stopping which employs the brake light feature. Centered around a 3 watt LED, Indrek Rebane an electronics engineer on the project claims the light is visible at 300m.
There are a few differences to the Velodroom though, flash past the break for more.
While the renderings show only one LED, the video above with a prototype clearly shows three for additional visibility.
Rather than use disposable batteries, the light features a built in Lithium Polymer battery that is rechargeable with a USB cable. Velodroom lists their light as water resistant meaning you probably can’t dunk it in a fish tank, but it should survive most riding situations. The other interesting feature of the light is the auto brightness function which adjusts the brightness based on ambient light to save battery life.
Lights can be pre-ordered for $54 in the US positioning it between the Maxxon and the Lucid in terms of price. We’re working with Velodroom on the possibility of getting an early sample for review to see how it performs in the real world, so stay tuned for that.
In addition to the light, Velodroom is currently running a Bike Accessory Challenge in cooperation with GrabCad which hosts new engineering challenges every week. Velodroom’s challenge is to create an accessory that solves a problem that cyclists face in their daily ride. Prizes range up to $800 cash and a Velodroom light.
Current entries include this modern take on the picnic bike that has made the rounds on Pinterest, along with self powered LED brake lights, front lights and more.
