Reactiv LED Jacket – Dynamic Visibility For Cyclists

Reactiv LED Cycling Jacket (photo: Dyson Foundation)

A recent post explored the advantages of LED safety clothing to help athletes, motorists and workers stay visible in the dark. Michael Chen, a designer who recently graduated from Middlesex University in the UK, has taken the concept even further with the motion-sensitive Reactiv LED jacket for cyclists.

What sets the Reactiv jacket apart from other LED garments is its integrated, motion sensitive accelerometer. 20 LEDs in the body and sleeves of the jacket receive signals from the accelerometer when a cyclist moves, and change the lighting accordingly. Under acceleration, the LEDs on the back of the jacket glow green; when a cyclist slows down, the LEDs glow red like the brake lights on an automobile. Orange LED lights along the jacket sleeves indicate a turn when the cyclist gives an arm signal.

For now, the Reactiv jacket is just a prototype; Chen plans to streamline the design and reduce the size of the control components. But the design clearly has potential: a few months ago it won the 2008 James Dyson Award for design, and Chen hopes to partner with a manufacturer to bring the Reactiv jacket to the market.

via Times Online (UK)

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