When it comes to brake lights, Bicycle versions have been mostly concepts due to the need to integrate switches into the bicycle for them to work properly. Not that long ago, we covered the Maxxon wireless brake light that is said to use Nintendo Wii technology to bypass the need for wires. As one of the latest wireless bicycle brake lights, LucidBRAKE hopes to Kickstart their unique lightweight stop sign shaped design. Weighing a mere 23 grams, the light has no on/off switch and no plastic cover yet is 100% waterproof.
Sounds interesting right? Jump past the break for more.
The key to the LucidBRAKE is a 3 axis accelerometer that is able to detect braking forces relative to gravity. This allows the light to be positioned nearly anywhere with the included 3M Dual lock fasteners – like on the back of your helmet or bag. The accelerometer also acts as the on/off switch, stop moving and the circuit board puts itself to sleep until it detects motion again resulting in roughly a 2 year life span on 2 AAs. Relying on the built in accelerometer, the light allows for 2 different braking speeds with sudden stopping causing it to glow brighter than when slowing to a stop. If you have to slam on the brakes it will stay fully lit for a few seconds before going back to the random blinking mode until the next stop.
No, that’s not an unfinished prototype, that is the actual brake. When designing the light, John Craig was challenged to create a light that was not only advanced technically, but light weight as well. While the first prototype had a plastic shell, after talking with experts at Dow Corning the decision was made to use a conformal coating which embeds the circuitry making it water proof. The battery holder is the only part not coated which relies on tin plated spring clips to hold each battery in place. According to John the same embedding material is used to embed photovoltaic cells that require letting light through while not clouding due to UV rays and weathering. To clean the light after riding in the elements, a simple brush can be used to remove the dirt from the light.
Currently, with the $50 and $75 options all gone, the lowest price for you to get a light from Kickstarter is $90 – and there is only one left. Which means everyone else is going to have to cough up $100 for a LucidBrake, cleaning brush, 4 fasteners, and batteries. With only 19 days left LucidBRAKE has a long way to go with just under $7k of their $30k goal.
