Two startups are bringing AI vehicle recognition to bike tail lights, upping the ante for radar detecting options by giving you more and better info about what’s coming up behind you.
Both also include cameras to record traffic, capturing any incidents for later use to prove fault. Velo.AI is out front with a product that’s available now, and Survue is prepping a Kickstarter Campaign to get rolling. Here’s a quick primer on each:
Velo.ai Copilot
The Velo.ai Copilot has already sold out their first run, but will cost you $399 when they’re back in stock. They’re using the recently introduced Rasperry Pi AI Kit, which houses the AI entirely onboard a $70 microcomputer (check this interview for more about that unit, it’s wildly impressive), so all processing is done locally without any need for connectivity. Velo.ai was even featured on Raspberry Pi’s website for this product.
The key difference is that it’s using the camera and AI processing to detect vehicles, not radar. That means it can identify the size and shape of the vehicle, and it’s position relative to you. So, it won’t alert you when your buddy rides up quickly behind you, but will alert for cars.
The camera records and saves your ride’s footage just in case. Their app shows the position of the vehicle, and provides audio and visual cues for you as well as visual (blinking light) cues for the drivers. This V1 edition only pairs with iOS and Android phones, not cycling computers, though.
Survue Taillight
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The Survue has a smaller, narrower form factor that looks more like the Garmin, Bryton, and Trek radar lights, which may appeal to more performance riders.
They claim it not only differentiates between vehicle size and speed, but also the path, and will turn on recording if it predicts an impact, then save that footage on its MicroSD card for easy downloading later. It also adjusts its alerts based on a passing vehicle’s size and proximity.
The light automatically adjusts its flash pattern based on traffic behavior to better alert drivers, and automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient light. Use it alone and it has built in audio alerts to keep you abreast of what’s going on behind you. Or pair it with their app for a detailed visual of what’s coming up, or with your cycling computer for basic alerts.
