While bicycle headlights do help cyclists see the road, they also make those cyclists considerably more visible to motorists. The Focus headlight was designed very much with the latter in mind, as it can grab drivers' attention by flashing at a whopping 5,000 lumens.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Focus is manufactured by Italian startup BYB Tech – the company previously brought us a telemetry system for assessing the suspension settings on mountain bikes.
Despite the fact that it's so bright (most urban bike lights are rated at no more than about 200 lumens), the Focus is quite small and lightweight. It measures 66 x 41 x 16 mm (2.6 x 1.6 x 0.6 in), and reportedly tips the scales at 49 g (1.7 oz). A GoPro-style attachment is used to mount it below the handlebar stem.
Utilizing either a bar-mounted remote or pushbuttons on the light itself, riders can operate the Focus in one of four fashions.
These include High-Beam Mode, in which it can be manually flashed at its maximum 5,000-lumen output; Front Beacon Mode, in which it continuously blinks at 5,000 lumens; Low Beam Mode, in which it shines steadily at 800 lumens; and Rear Red Mode, in which it's mounted on the back of the bike, and its three LEDs blink or shine steadily in red at 300 lumens.
One 15-minute charge of its racing-drone-derived lithium battery should reportedly be good for 1,000 flashes in High-Beam, 20 hours of use in Front Beacon, six hours in Low Beam, and 20 hours in Rear Red. It should be noted that in Front Beacon and Rear Red modes, an app can be used to select between four different blinking patterns.
Because the Focus incorporates an IMU (inertial measurement unit), it can be set to automatically power itself up when the bike starts moving, and shut down once the bike has remained still for some time. In conjunction with the app, the IMU is also used when initially mounting the headlight, to ensure that it's tilted at an angle where it won't blind other road users.
The Focus additionally packs an onboard ambient light sensor, which can be activated to automatically adjust the LEDs' output level for maximum visibility based on the current lighting conditions.
Assuming the Focus headlight reaches production, a pledge of €125 (about US$138) will get you one – a wireless version of the hard-wired handlebar remote is available as an added extra. The planned retail price of the light is €249 ($274).
Source: Kickstarter
