Safety-conscious cyclists could get themselves a separate tail light, brake light, turn indicator system, rear-view camera and crash detector … or they could soon get all of those things in one device, in the form of the Hexagon. Not only does it pack several features into one gadget, but it also looks a lot like Darth Vader's TIE fighter.
The Hexagon is attached to the bike's seatpost via an included quick-release mount. Its back-facing 1080p/30fps HD camera uses Wi-Fi to transmit real-time video to a display on the user's handlebar-mounted smartphone. The rider can view that display as they would a rearview mirror, plus they can record the video on the Hexagon's SD card, or they can livestream it via an accompanying app.
That app can additionally be used to track speed, calories burned, and distance travelled.
An accelerometer and gyroscope in the device detect sudden braking, and automatically light up its cluster of red LEDs accordingly. Those same sensors also detect the type of movements associated with crashes, and in those cases will offer to send an SMS message to family and/or friends with the rider's GPS coordinates – if the rider doesn't respond within 10 seconds, the message automatically goes out. It's also possible to manually send such alerts, in non-crash emergencies.
Additionally, even if the rider hasn't been intentionally recording video, the Hexagon is constantly buffering the previous few minutes of footage. In the event of a crash, that video is saved to the SD card, instead of being recorded over. If a driver following the cyclist was responsible for the accident, hopefully the footage can be used to prove it.
And yes, there are also turn indicators, which are activated using an included wireless handlebar remote.
Battery life for the Hexagon sits at a claimed three hours per charge of its two included batteries, which can be expanded to six hours if an optional extra couple of batteries are purchased. There's also a cheaper Hexagon Light model which can only take two batteries, and that lacks the TIE fighter "wing" lights (what fun is that?).
If you're interested in getting one, the Hexagon should be available in a little over two weeks. Pricing will range from US$129 to $179 depending on the model and package chosen, although prospective buyers can get a discount if they register via the link at the end of the article.
The device is demo'd in the following video. And should you just be interested getting a tail light that records video (but you don't care about watching that video in real time), you might want to also check out the Fly6.
Source: Hexagon
